North County Shows Off 1st of Fleet of Natural Gas-Run Buses

The North County Transit District and San Diego Gas & Electric Co. on Wednesday unveiled the county’s first public bus powered by compressed natural gas, adorned with the motto “Breathe Easy.”

The bus, painted sky blue with white, billowy clouds, went on its first ride Wednesday. It is the first of eight buses that will use clean-burning fuel that will run in North County by late 1992.

Compressed natural gas is touted as environmentally safe because it produces half as much ozone-forming pollutants, such as hydrocarbons, and burns 90% less carbon monoxide than gasoline and other fuels. The gas is also lighter than air, and rapidly disperses when released.

“The benefit . . . with natural gas is that it has a lean burnage,” said Tiss Nelson, project manager of research and development for SDG&E.; “It is a very low producer of nitrous oxide, which is one of the principle contributors to smog.”

Nelson said 99% of buses are powered by diesel fuel, which has a bad smell and gives off a thick, black smoke. Natural gas-powered buses do not have those problems and are quieter than those using diesel fuel, he said.

The North County “Breathe Easy” bus and others like it have the potential to eliminate many of Southern California’s air-quality concerns, said Gary Cotton, senior vice president of engineering and operations for SDG&E.;

The bus, leased to the North County Transit District by SDG&E;, cost $275,000 and will be tested over the next year in actual transit. The other seven buses will be bought with $1.3 million in federal funds from the federal Urban Mass Transit Authority.

The natural gas bus has a turbo-charged engine, which is a modified version of the existing diesel-powered bus engine design. The compressed natural gas is stored in six cylinders under the bus floorboards.

More than 30,000 such buses are in existence across the United States, used mostly by utility companies and transit systems.

The new “Breathe Easy” bus will begin its route sometime next week and will be refueled at a filling station installed by SDG&E; at the North County Transit District’s fueling station, said Betty Laurs, marketing manager for the transit system.