SMART switches fleet to fuel-efficient buses

The traditional red, orange and white colors of the SMART buses are about to go green.The suburban Detroit mass transit agency is transforming its fleet so they can run on bio-fuel. So far three of its 283 buses have made the switch. The rest are expected to be phased in within the next two years at a rate of 15 per month.The buses will run on grain-based B-5 bio-fuel, which will up their fuel efficiency from 4.2 mpg to 4.9. That might not seem like much of a bump on the surface, but it represents a nearly 17 percent increase in fuel efficiency.And the best part is SMART is making the switch for free. The buses were not living up to their normal life expectancy, so they were able to negotiate for new engines from the manufacturer. The new engines include the upgrade to bio-fuel compatibility.Source: Beth Dryden, director of external affairs, marketing and communications for SMARTWriter: Jon Zemke