A group gathered at a bus stop Friday, despite the heat, to celebrate the addition of four low-floor hybrid buses to the TriMet fleet that covers the Line 72-Killingsworth/82nd Ave. route.

TriMet was notified Thursday that it had received $2 million in funds from the Federal Transit Administration after submitting its application in early February to replace some of the oldest buses in its aging fleet.

Mary Fetsch, communications officer for TriMet, said that their fleet of buses was one of the oldest in the industry.

“Hybrid electric buses are part of an important movement towards cleaner technology in our transit system,” said Therese McMillan of the FTA, calling the purchase a smart investment. She said that she hoped to see the FTA function as a partner for communities like Portland to produce on-the-ground results.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer, D-District 3, said that he appreciated this partnership with the Obama administration.

“People understand what we’re trying to do,” he said.

McFarlane said that these buses would help form a base line as TriMet starts to build its “fleet of the future.”

Fetsch said that TriMet has been working to add more low-floor buses that would allow those with disabilities to board more efficiently. The process of lowering and raising a ramp on a high-floor bus can take between two and four minutes with a high-floor bus compared to the one minute boarding process for a low-floor bus.

The ramps on low-floor buses, Fetsch added, are easier and cheaper to maintain because of a simpler design with fewer parts.

Replacing the buses is an expensive endeavor however, with low-floor diesel buses costing $400,000 and the hybrid model $560,000.

“Our hope is to replace aging buses with low floor buses,” she said. “The question is ‘Will they be hybrids or not?’ It’s a question of finances.”

Line 72 has the highest ridership of any of the TriMet routes, providing over 16,000 trips per day. It connects two Portland Community College Campuses, runs through several residential as well as commercial areas and connects with the MAX line in three locations according to TriMet’s general manager, Neil McFarlane.

In addition to a higher fuel economy, Fetsch said that the buses would be a beneficial addition because it would improve air quality by reducing emissions in the area,, and because the quieter hybrid vehicles would make the area along the route more livable.

“I’m looking forward to putting these buses in service as soon as they arrive here in Portland,” McFarlane said. The buses are expected to arrive in about 20 months.

Footage from the announcement is below.

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