STM Hybrid Buses on the Road!

The STM hybrid buses operating out of the Lasalle garage have been seen around NDG for the past week or so and I got to ride on one of them this afternoon.

You can identify them by the big hybrid sticker on the side that looks like an electricity plug (no they are not plug-in hybrids though) and by the much bigger bump on the roof. According to the STM, there are 8 buses being used for a trial (bus numbers 28-701 to 28-708)

Here is the STM announcement.

As we were driving along, I asked the driver what they were like and he seemed to be pretty impressed by the performance.

• 40% cut in fuel consumption (50L/100km compared to 80L of a typical bus).
• Very quiet operation.  Up to about 30km/h the bus is entirely electric.
• The transmission blends the two power sources depending on the speed and acceleration required
• Regenerative braking recharges the batteries when slowing down (trains can have this feature too)
• The ride seemed very smooth and I could barely hear the diesel engine cutting in when it reached 30km/h (I was in the front however).
• A great benefit for pedestrians nearby: No great cloud of diesel fumes when the bus leaves the stop!

The technical details can be found here.

I hope the STM buys more!