In the News

Lake County News Sun, June 24, 2009

A bipartisan group of local officials is asking PACE to purchase alternative fuel buses with federal stimulus funding instead of purchasing diesel models.

U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Highland Park, State Sen. Susan Garrett, D-Lake Forest, State Rep. Karen May, D-Highland Park and Highland Park Mayor Michael Belsky have called on the suburban bus transit authority to convert the purchase of 58 diesel buses to hybrid or alternative fuel buses that will decrease fuel costs and improve air quality.

Pace applied to the Federal Transit Administration to purchase the diesel vehicles using formula funds provided in the federal stimulus bill. The Chicago Transit Authority already used stimulus funds to purchase 58 hybrid buses.

"Many city bus companies used federal stimulus funds to add hybrid buses to their fleets," Congressman Kirk said. "Pace is going the opposite direction and plans to buy 58 older-technology diesel buses. It's time for Pace to go green."

Kirk said a hybrid bus will use approximately 30,000 gallons less fuel than a diesel bus, delivering a significant cost savings to taxpayers.

"If we're serious about reducing our dependence on foreign oil and reducing pollution, we should shift to hybrid buses," Kirk said.

On March 23, the Lake County Council of Mayors approved a resolution calling on Pace to purchase hybrid and/or high-efficiency buses. On April 29, Kirk sent a letter to Pace requesting that the agency convert its purchase of diesel buses to new fuel-efficient vehicles.

A new fleet of hybrid fixed-route buses could save more than one million gallons of fuel and eliminate 10,500 tons of greenhouse gases, Kirk said, while the total fuel savings to the taxpayer could be more than $2.6 million.