Cost-sharing of bus

Press, 24 August 1976, Page 1

Cost-sharing of bus

The Christchurch Transport Board is willing to provide about half the cost of producing an experimental $70,000 battery-electric bus to be used on its City Clipper route.

A meeting of the board vesterday agreed that it would contribute an amount equivalent to the purchase price of a dieselengined bus with the same passenger capacity. In June, a five-member committee was formed to investigate the feasibility of using electric buses to replace the existing 18-year-old vehicles on the route.

A report was submitted to the board recently by two of its members who are engaged in an electrical propulsion research programme at Canterbury Uni-

versity — Messrs R. Harman and D. Byers. ' It estimated that a prototype 30-passenger electric bus could cost as much as $70,000, although production versions would be cheaper. This compared with $35,000 for a diesel-engined bus of comparable size, said the board’s general manager (Mr M. G. Taylor), The committee will look into tvays of financing the electric bus. A Government grant on the grounds that it was a project with environmental benefits seemed a possibility; and local industry might be prepared to supply some components for the experimental vehicle, the board was told. The report to the investigating committee said that

although the use of a bat-tery-electric bus for the service was feasible, running costs appeared to be at least as high as a dieselengined equivalent. However, the committee decided that until detailed investigation into battery life was carried out this statement should be regarded with caution.