A pattern of green leaves identifies five hybrid buses in the inner-city fleet, vehicles that will save the company up to 30 percent on fuel costs and help improve air quality in Muncie.
Two weeks ago, MITS joined the ranks of Indiana's electric-hybrid transportation systems, which includes the CityBus of Greater Lafayette and South Bend's Transpo, among others.
Assistant general manager Mary Gaston said the company instated the first five buses and that she immediately saw a positive reaction from the public.
"I rode around for a few hours the first couple of days, and people seemed pleased that Muncie is moving in this direction," she said.
MITS made their first bid for the Silver Fleet in 2005, but a lack of funding prevented the sale. This year, however, the company received some extra federal funding from the Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality grant, which allowed for the purchase of the new fleet.
"It's sort of a good thing, bad thing for us," Gaston said. "On the one hand, it's bad that Muncie's air quality is deteriorating, but on the other hand it's good because we got the funding needed to help."
According to a press release by MITS, a diesel-fueled bus costs $335,000. The hybrid buses cost $540,000.
While the initial price is more, the fuel savings over the lifetime of the bus is 30 percent compared to a non-hybrid bus.
The press release also stated that the buses are going to operate quieter and have easier access for people using wheelchairs.
Gaston said people find the buses attractive because they promote environmentally friendly practices.
She said the fleet of 30 buses should be running solely on hybrid buses within a year but will be added as funding allows.
"We'll be purchasing hybrids as the older buses need to be replaced as long as funding allows," she said.
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