In honor of National Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Day, Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) will be taking the Hydrogen Fuel Cell bus on tour to all its Transit Centers before it returns to Columbus to complete its testing at Ohio State. The official day is Saturday October 8th, which was chosen because the atomic weight of Hydrogen is 1.008 (10.08). The purpose of National Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Day is to raise awareness of the clean energy technology that is available.
Additionally, while the Fuel Cell (FC) bus is at each Transit Center, SARTA's leadership will be distributing All-Day bus passes. Although the official day is on Saturday, SARTA will be holding its events on Monday October 10 so more people can see the bus. "The Fuel Cell Bus has been in Columbus undergoing testing at OSU's Center for Automotive Research (CAR)," stated Kirt Conrad, SARTA's executive director/CEO. "However, we want to give the public the opportunity to experience this truly remarkable vehicle so we are taking it on tour and honoring National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day."
Conrad noted that the only emissions from the bus is water and these buses get double the mileage as a diesel bus. "We're going to use this bus and our entire fleet of FC vehicles as roving classrooms," he said. "Along with providing the safe, reliable, affordable transportation we're known for, the buses will give people the opportunity to become familiar and comfortable with the technology that will drive public-and hopefully private transportation in the years ahead."
On Monday Oct 10, the Fuel Cell bus will be at:
- Canton Cornerstone Transit Center 7:10-7:50a & 3:10-3:50p
- Massillon Transit Center 8:20-8:40a & 1:55-2:33p
- Belden Village Transit Center 9:05-9:35a & 12:55-1:25p
- Alliance Transit Center 10:15-10:50a