Not all they're cracked up to be. File photo by Chris Shepherd.

When Nelson received six new buses last year, council and public were told there would be savings in both greenhouse gas emissions and fuel use. Yesterday morning city council learned just one of those promises turned out to be true: lower emissions. To make matters worse, added debt from the new buses means the city has to cover a $128,000 deficit in their transit budget

The buses use more fuel and are more expensive to run says the city’s fleet manager. On top of that, the bus lease agreement with B.C. Transit also jumped to $220,000 a year up from $80,000 with the old buses.

“Send them back,” was Coun. Donna Macdonald’s reaction to the news, delivered by Rudi DeVuono, manager of the city’s fleet of vehicles, which includes the buses.

DeVuono was talking at council’s special committee of the whole meeting, part of their 2011 budget process and the message was the buses aren’t helping the city’s bottom line.

The buses were touted to have lower greenhouse gas emissions but in order to make that happen, they actually use more fuel. The new buses also have air conditioning which uses more fuel as well.

“Your emissions are better but we’re burning a lot more fuel with the new buses,” said DeVuono.

That’s the opposite of what the community was told in March 2010. According to a report in the Nelson Daily News the new buses, three of which were used in the 2010 Olympics in Whistler, would be a benfit to Nelson. Joanna Morton, a spokeswoman for B.C. Transit, told the Nelson Daily News:

The real benefits to the community are in lower greenhouse gas emissions, Morton explained. The new buses emit 89 per cent less hydro carbon emissions, 81 per cent less nitrous oxide and 98 per cent less particulate matter (out of the tailpipe).

“And given the technology and efficiency of the new engine,” she added, “each bus burns 10 per cent less fuel.”

Source: Nelson Daily News

As it was explained to council yesterday morning, the city had little choice but the accept the new buses.

Coun. Deb Kozak said she had originally understood the increased lease for the new buses would be balanced by lower costs to run the machines. She asked staff to look into the communication they received from B.C. Transit to see if that was promised to them.

City pays for the new buses

Transit also hurt the city’s budget because of an staff error in the city’s 2010 budget which recorded the city and B.C. Transit sharing the debt of purchasing the new buses. In reality, the city has to cover the entire debt.

For 2011 Nelson has to pay $221,770 for the buses debt.

The debt, combined with costs for labour, maintenance and operating costs have put the city in a $128,069 deficit for transit.

The city will cover $100,000 of that from planned increases to parking meter prices.

The return of Nelson Transit?

Coun. Kim Charlesworth asked DuVuona if Nelson ever had their own transit system. Yes, answered DeVuono, and it was back in the 1980s they got rid of the city-owned transit.

“If we’re hearing about this uncertainty and difficulty in getting buses that meet our needs, maybe it’s time for us to explore the idea of what would it look like for us to have at least some of our own transit,” said Charlesworth.

Charlesworth says she didn’t want to make any snap decisions, but she wondered if they could start that discussion and suggests that include that on their list of planning.

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