Countywide : Transit Board OKs Purchase of 39 Buses

With ridership increasing, the Orange County Transit District board voted unanimously Monday to buy 39 new buses before an anti-smog law goes into effect that would make the purchase illegal.

The 1991 air pollution regulations, OCTD officials said, would require use of engines that are not commercially available.

The action will increase OCTD’s fleet to 481 buses.

OCTD Board Chairman Roger R. Stanton, who is also a county supervisor, reversed his Feb. 20 vote against the $8.1-million purchase. Stanton said he was briefed by transit district officials and was convinced that the district is properly evaluating bus use.

Stanton previously opposed the purchase in a 3-2 vote last month, arguing that some buses on the street are “far less than filled.”

Huntington Beach Councilman John Erskine, who had joined with Stanton in opposing the purchase, did not attend Monday’s transit district board meeting.

OCTD ridership has increased 33% during the past two years, while passenger complaints have risen 50%, according to district officials.

The new anti-smog regulations are scheduled to be enforced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The South Coast Air Quality Management District is proposing similar rules, which are still being discussed at public workshops.

The new federal rules will require that bus emissions be reduced to levels currently obtained with experimental, methanol-fueled buses, which produce 90% less soot or particulate matter and about half the nitrous oxides of current engines.