The Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority has purchasing and including 13 Hybrid Ford Escapes into their operations fleet. The use of Hybrid vehicles is still limited within the public transportation industry, but the CCRTA wants to diversify their fleet to limit reliability on one particular fuel source.
There are also a number of great benefits to electric vehicles (EVs) over conventional petro/diesel cars. The first benefit is that they are cheaper to run. A battery electric vehicle (BEV) has a lot less moving parts, and little service is required since there are no expensive exhaust systems, starter motors, fuel injection systems, radiators or many other parts are not needed in an EV. There are also no oil changes, which will reduce maintenance costs. Just maintain the brakes, rotate your tires and keep them properly inflated. Electric vehicles are also better for the environment. EV’s produce less pollution and help to reduce harmful air pollution from exhaust emissions. These vehicles are also made up of eco-friendly materials such as recycled material and bio based materials.
“As the transportation industry evolves, we need to move in the direction of more environmentally friendly and efficient options to set the example and a standard in which we need to take action for the community and the environment,” said Derrick Majchszak, CCRTA director of transportation. “You have to be open to change in order to make a significant transition for a positive outcome.”
The CCRTA is one of few transit agencies that include electric vehicles within their fleet. Many agencies are seeing the need for a combination of gas, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), electric and in some cases autonomous vehicles.
These Hybrid vehicles will be used to relieve drivers from their regular eight hour shift change seven days a week. Many transit agencies choose not to provide this amenity of relief vehicles for their operators and require operators to find different modes of transportation to relieve one another from their shifts. The CCRTA has been utilizing these vehicles for the past two months and the results have been great. Not only are these vehicles environmentally friendly, they are also safe and provide an enjoyable quiet ride for the operators after a long shift.
“We are proud to be pioneers in this new and exciting endeavor, said Majchszak, “we are hoping other agencies or companies can see the benefits within the region we service to lower the carbon footprint.”
The CCRTA is always looking for new and innovative ways to improve transportation throughout the Coastal Bend. The CCRTA mission in 2018 is to continue to improve on current services as well as additional services that will benefit the community at large.
