Christchurch, N.Z.--The zero
pollution, zero fare electric buses of Christchurch (population 290,000) were intended to
lure back shoppers from suburban malls to the languishing central business district. In
addition to achieving this objective, the buses have become a major tourist attraction in
the process.
Introduced last December, the streamlined buses--four of
which are now in operation--have vastly exceeded ridership forecasts. As word has spread,
the buses have played a major role in attracting tourists and conventions. Ridership has
been as high as 80,000 a month, and is now approaching the million mark in 11 months of
operation.
Built by local New Zealand manufacturer Designline and
operated by Christchurch's Red Bus Company, the environment-friendly hybrid
"Olymbus" is powered by 54 solid gel, water-cooled batteries that run the
electric engine.
An auxiliary low-emission diesel motor can be switched on
when the batteries need a boost between charges. The batteries are recharged in about
eight hours, between shifts. Each vehicle clocks up to about 150 kilometers a day between
charges.
The fleet operates 16 hours daily, from 8 a.m. to
midnight, seven days a week. Travel on the shuttle is free; operating costs are met by
local taxpayers (known as ratepayers in New Zealand) via a line item in the Christchurch
city budget.
Each vehicle can carry 20 seated passengers, and a similar
number standing. The service operates on 10-minute headways during the day and 15 minutes
in the evenings, stopping at 21 brightly colored stops along a 4.5-kilometer central city
route.
The buses use onboard computer controls and regenerative
braking to help optimize engine performance in what has been de-scribed as one of the
world's most advanced applications of electric vehicle technology to urban transport.
Representatives of urban transit authorities have already come to look at the Christchurch
electric shuttle from as far away as Chile, Germany, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom.
Since the introduction of the electric shuttle, which has
won overwhelming popular acceptance, the Red Bus Company has also started to phase in
electric buses on some of its regular revenue routes.
Editor's Note: Information for this story was provided by
the New Zealand Bus and Coach Association and its executive director, John Collyns.
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