Transportation Section: A greener way of getting to school

A greener way of getting to school

Burnaby North Secondary student helps school win Canada’s first plug-in hybrid bus

BY SHAYNA WIWIERSKI

A school bus is one of the safest methods of transportation for students to get to school. And now, because of a new, plug-in hybrid bus, it’s making the envi ron ment safer, too.

Western Canada IC Bus, the only bus manufacturer in North America that makes plug-in hybrid school buses, recently ran a nationwide contest looking for “Canada’s Greenest School.” The big prize, among other things, was a hybrid school bus for the contest winner’s school.

“The contest drew attention to plug-in school buses as a green alternative for environmentally-minded schools. There are advantages that school buses have over other transportation modes to get to school,” says Keith Kladder, marketing manager for IC Bus.

To enter the contest, which ended in May 2010, students had to submit an essay explaining why and how their school could become the most environmentally friendly school in Canada. Ten finalists were chosen, and then the general public voted online for their favourite essays.

Jennifer Hao, from Burnaby North Secondary in School District no. 41, beat out around 250 other submissions and won the grand prize – a plug-in hybrid bus for her school – as well as a $3,000 scholarship toward her education and $500 towards eco-friendly school supplies for her classroom.

Her submission, titled Burnaby North: Youth in Action, talked about a “Green Rides Campaign” and other ways that the school could reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

“Very few students walk or bike to school, due to the number of cars blocking the main road to our buildings,” Hao states in her winning submission. “Daily traffic jams from 8:35-8:50 a.m. and 3:003:15 p.m. make it difficult for vehicles to enter and exit our school’s traffic zone.

“We have reached a conclusion that using hybrid school buses is the most effective solution for reducing pollution… Gradually we would have hybrid school buses replace our regular school buses and taxis for activities and fieldtrips. The money our school would save from the eco-transportation system would be dedicated towards green projects or expanding our bus program,” she said.

Burnaby North has not yet received the bus, which is currently being built, as the school and the district are still trying to figure out a way to properly utilize the bus.

“Technically, it was awarded to Bur naby North, but individual high schools do not own anything in the district so we haven’t found out how we will utilize it together,” says David Mushens, vice-principal at Burnaby North Second ary School. “Things come up, like maintenance and insurance, and if we spread these expenses across the school district, it makes it less expensive to deal with.”

The bus, and the contest, has brought the topic of being greener into the school’s agenda, for students and school officials alike.

“It’s kind of refocused our energies on environmental issues, which have be come a broader topic of conversation. We have always had paper issues, but it’s become a topic between student and staff, and brought forward a much greater awareness,” Mushens says. “The district has also taken a significant interest, looking at our schools and what we can do differently. And it’s now on our radar for student involvement in planning events, and what the environmental impact will be, whereas matters like this weren’t there before.”

The contest helped Hao and her school to become more environmentally friendly, and also familiarized people about these relatively new, plug-in hybrid school buses. The first model, delivered to the market in February 2007, looks exactly like your classic school bus. The real difference is realized in the fuel economy; an average school bus typically uses over 6,400 litres of fuel annually, whereas the hybrid version uses around 2,200 litres. The hybrid can also improve fuel economy by up to 65 per cent and reduce emissions by about 40 per cent.

So how does it work? Well, like the name, you simply plug it in to a 220-volt

outlet for a six- to eight-hour charge time. The bus itself is designed for a 12-year life span – the same as a regular school bus –however, the batteries will have to be replaced likely once in that time.

Another big difference between the hybrid and standard bus version is the price tag. According to the contest website, the hybrid plug-in bus costs $200,000 CDN, approximately double the amount of a standard school bus. And, ultimately, it’s the price tag that makes some school divisions reluctant to purchase them. “You have to look at the big picture, which is the economics. The upfront cost and battery replacement is costly; you really have to look measurably at the real economy and dollars and cents. Environmentally it’s great, but it takes a long time to get that $100,000 back,” says Doug Hulse, account manager for Wes tern Canada IC Bus.

According to Hulse, there are about half a dozen of them in Western Canada, with the majority of them in British Columbia and one in Saskatchewan.

“The hybrid conversion has been very costly in terms of an up-front capital cost. In B.C., there has been some provincial participation in the cost of the hybrid bus.”

Even though the cost of the hybrid plug-in is quite high, Kladder has been hearing good things as well as growing interest for them from students. And because of this interest, he believes that this is just the beginning for hybrid buses.

“We believe hybrid school buses are not just a short-term fix for the school bus industry. We see hybrids as a long-term strategic growth in the industry. As more automotive companies ramp up their hybrid production, especially with cars like the Toyota Prius, and introduce plugin technology to the consumer market, we can take advantage of the cost production of ion lithium batteries, and ultimately it will drive the cost down for our industry,” says Kladder.

For more information, please visit www.icbus.com and www.CanadasGreenestSchool.ca.

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