Better Buses

It’s not unusual to see buses on city streets, but it is unusual to see buses that aren’t belching harmful emissions. A new generation of buses may be just the ticket to help clean up smog-ridden cities. Fuel cell-buses run on hydrogen instead of fossil fuels and produce no emissions.

Large Cities Use Hydrogen
Successful experiments on the streets of Chicago, Illinois, and Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada), show how reliable and clean the buses are. The CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) teamed up with one of the world’s most respected fuel cell manufacturers, Ballard Power Systems, to test the buses. The city of Vancouver, home to Ballard, also ran three buses. The experiments turned out to be a huge success, with both drivers and passengers appreciating the cleaner, quieter ride.

Smoggy Cities Try Hydrogen
Six of the world’s smoggiest cities recently announced plans to replace some of their traditional buses with hydrogen buses. The five-year, $60 million program announced by the Global Environment Facility will provide 46 buses powered by fuel cells for Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Cairo, New Delhi, Shanghai, and Beijing.

Cleaner Air?
How big an effect will the change make? Studies by the United Nations Development Program indicate that if all diesel buses in developing countries were replaced by 2020 with fuel-cell buses operating on hydrogen produced from natural gas, 440 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions could be cut each year, and 40 percent of dangerous airborne particulate matter would be eliminated.