The issue has been heightened in New Jersey since announcement in Albany of the shift in MTA bus fuel policy earlier this week.

A central flaw in NJ Transit's position on CNG fuel is that it compares diesel buses to the fifty CNG cruiser buses that the agency began operating on Route 9 last April. Any analysis should be instead based on CNG local transit buses. NJ Transit is the first major national customer for CNG cruisers, while CNG transit buses are an off-the-shelf, widely-used technology.

In its comparison of CNG and diesel buses, NJ Transit has focused on some studies that have shown CNG buses to emit slightly more carbon monoxide and a form of hydrocarbon than new diesel buses. The argument ignores the major benefit of CNG buses - they emit ten times fewer carcinogenic and asthma-inducing fine particulates or soot than diesels and 3 times less ozone-inducing nitrogen oxide. Moreover, buses are not an important source of carbon monoxide or hydrocarbons, but EPA data implies that in New Jersey's urban counties, the particulate matter from diesel vehicles contributes significantly to increased risk of respiratory disease and cancer. And while NJ is ranked as a "severe" ozone non-attainment zone by the EPA, the state is within national standards for carbon monoxide.

NJ Transit says it could buy 540 diesels for the cost of 300 CNG buses. This is off by a long shot. The comparison assumes that CNG buses cost $505,000, vs. $380,000 for diesels. LI Bus buys CNG transit buses for about $330,000 per bus, with special equipment, and the same basic bus cost NYC Transit $302,000 in a recent summary (Dec. '99) of its purchase plan. To hike the numbers, NJ Transit added the expense of retrofitting six depots. But this large infrastructure upgrade would house more than 300 CNG buses, so its cost should be averaged over the entire fleet.

NJ Transit also suggested that CNG buses are 30% less fuel efficient than diesel. However, the Long Island Bus CNG fleet gets 3.5 miles to the gallon equivalent for CNG compared to 3.6 for diesel. NJ Transit also claimed that it has had difficulty finding quality gas providers. But with changes in the energy marketplace over the last decade, NJT can now buy from any gas supplier it wants, including Brooklyn Union Gas, which supplies Long Island Bus, NYC Transit's CNG depot in Brooklyn and the NYC DOT franchise fleet.

Finally, maintenance problems cited by NJ Transit have not been found anywhere else where CNG transit buses have been used across the country. CNG buses are over 20% of the bus fleets of 31 transit operators nation-wide. The difficulties with NJ Transit's cruiser fleet may be attributable to its prototypical status and the unfamiliarity of maintenance staff with the technology.

NJ's pending renewal of the Transportation Trust Fund gives the Legislature a chance to revisit the issue in the next few months.

 



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