Friday scatblogging – Earth Week edition

Hah, I double-crossed you this week. No chicken scat, no human coprolites, no buffalo patties. Just that hybrid bus over on the right.

OK, I hope I’ve got your curiosity hooked now.

SCAT is the Sarasota County Area Transit, the mass transit agency for the Sarasota, Fla. area. And it has celebrated the one-year anniversary of adding hybrid-drive buses to its fleet.

With gas prices soaring so high, and, of course, the electric half of hybrid drives most effective and efficient in city driving, SCAT says the hybrid buses will allow it to keep rates flat.

It’s an extra investment, of $500,000 per bus vs. $300,000 for a conventional bus, but looking like it’s well worth it.

Let’s assume, that with maintenance time, etc., a bus drives 84,000 miles a year. (That’s 230 miles a day.)

Let’s also assume (I don’t know what the actuals are) that a straight diesel bus averages 10 mpg, while a diesel hybrid averages 14 mpg. (Note: There are also gas hybrids on the market.)

The actual cost savings aren’t that high. 1,400 gallons at $4 per is “just” $5,600 a year. Even if my mileage is low by a factor of 2.5, that’s “just” $14,000 per year.

Now, if the much-reduced strain on the diesel engine extends driving life, saves mechanics’ costs, etc., then, the money starts adding up. But, on straight fuel savings, compared to hybrid vs. conventional cars, buying a hybrid bus is a mug’s game, at least right now.

And no, the Sarasota hybrids aren’t GM-made.