APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – About a third of Valley Transit’s bus fleet have now been switched over to clean diesel.
“Just yesterday, I had a person on the bus. They’re like, ‘Oh! The smell of a new bus!’”
Valley Transit bus driver Elmin Kurtovic tells FOX 11 many passengers have been excited to hop on board the new buses.
Green is now what’s in at the Valley Transit Center.
Seven of the old 1994 buses have been replaced by 2017 green-colored clean diesel fuel ones.
“We’re improving our carbon footprint by greater than 90 percent from where we were with the old buses,” Valley Transit general manager Ron McDonald said. “There’s almost zero-emission coming out of these clean diesel buses.”
The new hardware was paid for with $5 million from a state and a federal grant.
Bus drivers and passengers say they’re worth every penny.
“Is there a difference compared to the old buses? Absolutely!” Kurtovic said. “I mean, the ride is so much smoother, it’s quieter, the buses kneel faster, so it gets passengers on and off much faster.”
Bitter cold in January caused Valley Transit and other bus stations across the state to close or delay services.
McDonald tells FOX 11 that shouldn’t be a problem with clean diesel.
“I believe that issue is behind us. We don’t ever want to go down that road again!”
Aside from the environmental impacts, McDonald says the new buses will also benefit people with disabilities.
“We have some new securement system in them for people with disabilities, using mobility devices, so it’s just an all-around upgrade from our old fleet.”
“For us drivers, they’re much, much nicer to be in and, just longterm, I feel like, on our bodies, it’s going to be much better for us,” said Kurtovic.
Valley Transit hopes to replace the rest of its buses with clean diesel within the next three or four years.
