> As for the Yosemite busses, that's obviously
> your tax dollars at work. Wonder how good or available they are if someone
> decided to buy one of them? This has always been a ploy for getting new
> vehicles into the hands of friends, but buses don't seem like attractive
> vehicles for private ownership.
Lane Transit District buses are always highly desirable vehicles when they go up
for public auction. People attempt to make "inexpensive" motor homes out of
them.
Figure the initial purchase price of $5000 - 10,000, then add the cost of a new
engine & transmission at a minimum of another $10,000, and the buyer is buried
in
the junker to the tune of about $20,000 before the conversion has even begun.
Now
consider the purchase price of a decent motor home, most of which have far less
than the average 3,000,000 miles the buses have travelled. Hmmmmmm. As far as
the
electric buses go, I am not familiar with that particular brand, but the buses
that LTD bought 2 years ago have a top speed of 18 miles per hour when going up
even the smallest grade. In addition, the factory rep has been living in LTD's
shop since their purchase in an attempt to keep them running at all. The
purchase
was mandated by a local "Clean Air" committee which obviously knows what is the
best use of public funds. For the cost of the 6 hybrid electrics, that don't do
what they are supposed to do, are universally detested by riders and drivers
alike, the district could have bought an equal number of Gillig Phantoms which
have a proven track record of performance and reliability, and carry 25 more
people per vehicle to boot. Makes sense to me.
Kate
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