MTA Pursuing Alternative Fuels
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* The Metropolitan Transit Authority diesel-powered buses you refer to in your Street Smart column of April 26 indeed must pass rigorous inspections before they can roll into service. But MTA will never be satisfied simply with passing a test.
That is why, for the past 10 years, MTA (formerly the Regional Transportation District) has aggressively pursued alternative ways to fuel its buses. In 1991 we completed a highly successful test of buses that use much cleaner-burning methanol, and we recently purchased more than 300 of them for our fleet.
We also are leading the nation’s transit agencies in the research of other promising alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas and phosphoric acid fuel cells.
Modern, zero-emission electric trolley buses will return to Los Angeles before the year is over. We are working with Northrop Corp. to design and build a lightweight, low-floor advanced bus that could revolutionize the public transportation industry.
ARTHUR T. LEAHY
Acting Executive Officer, Operations
Los Angeles County Metropolitan
Transit Authority
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