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The first four vehicles have yet to go anywhere because they need repairs, leading HARTline to delay the rest of the order.
By KATHRYN WEXLER
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 12, 2001
TAMPA -- Electric-powered buses were supposed to be Tampa's alternative to the diesel-guzzling, fume-spewing behemoths. The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit system ballyhooed their arrival in mid May, announcing the lighter, environmentally friendly buses would be hitting streets soon.
Three months later, HARTline's four new electric buses are still sitting idle. They required so many repairs upon arrival from the manufacturer, Advanced Vehicle Systems Inc. of Chattanooga, Tenn., they have yet to ferry a single commuter.
Problems have ranged from unresponsive steering to leaky windows to exposed wires. HARTline officials say they aren't close to signing off on the buses, which have yet to pass on-the-road tests.
"This is my procurement from hell," said Butch Sibley, who oversees HARTline's bus purchases. "You better believe it's a disappointment."
Until AVS gets the first four buses right, HARTline officials say, they don't want the rest of the order for six more. Federal and state grants are covering most of the total $2.5-million purchase. But nearly $125,000 is coming from Hillsborough County's Community Investment Tax.
"If they do not meet the specifications, we can reject them," said Steven Roberts, HARTline's general manager.
Judging by the experience of four of the five cities that bought similar electric buses from AVS, Tampa may be in for a long wait before the vehicles are up to par.
Only Chattanooga, AVS' home base, has escaped troubling delivery delays, problems with its orders, or both.
Virginia transportation officials were so concerned about their new AVS buses they recently offered to fly officials in from the other cities to compare notes.
HARTline's Roberts and Sibley went to Falls Church, Va., two weeks ago.
"They were having problems, mechanical problems that were pretty much the same as ours," Sibley said.
Fuel-alternative buses are gaining national attention as cities look for ways to trim emissions. But marketplace competition hasn't entirely caught up.
Among the earlier designs were electric buses that relied entirely on batteries. But those require inconvenient recharges.
Hybrid-electric buses, like the kind Tampa ordered, are seen as a good middle ground.
A regenerator, powered by any number of fuels, juices the two 1-ton batteries while the bus is driven.
The cost is about $100,000 more than a traditional diesel bus, but it saves gas and produces nearly 96 percent less pollution, according to HARTline. They're also quieter and smoother.
AVS built its first hybrid-electric bus in 1998, and has since cornered about two-thirds of the country's market, said Richard Hitchcock, AVS president and CEO.
But hybrid-electric buses are still something of a novelty. Consequently, Hitchcock said, there are some kinks.
"I think we have had growing pains," he said. "We've had suppliers deliver us things that didn't work, and we have dealt with our customers in a very straightforward way when that happened."
Frustrated by nagging problems, officials in Tempe, Ariz., hired a firm to inspect the buses as they came off the assembly line in Chattanooga, said Greg Jordan, Tempe's transit operations supervisor.
"The rear-braking mechanisms were not strong enough," Jordan said. "We were expecting (driving time) ranges of 16 to 18 hours and found we only got 10 to 12."
The 18 buses Tempe ordered from AVS, which began arriving in April, still aren't up and running.
"They were supposed to have been in service a year ago," Jordan said.
Aside from Chattanooga, only Galveston, Texas, has any AVS hybrid-electric buses in service. Wayne Cook, director of transportation in Galveston, isn't satisfied.
"We are continuing to have turbine failures," Cook said of the Galveston buses, which run on batteries and propane.
"We are definitely not accepting (any more) buses at this time."
On May 5, Sibley fired off a list of defects to AVS. One of the four buses had 50 itemized problems. Some, like loose brackets, leaky injector fittings, and missing plugs, were easy to fix.
But there were other issues, too.
"Steering very sloppy; bus wanders all over the road," Sibley complained about all the buses.
Seals leaked, a wheelchair lift wouldn't respond, destination signs didn't work, and the dash and drivers' console wiring were problematic.
"These are very extensive lists," said Cook of Galveston after reviewing Tampa's defect list. "We wouldn't have accepted them either."
A mechanic from AVS has been on-site at HARTline for more than a month. More are expected to arrive this week.
Most of the problems appear to have been remedied, Sibley said. He and Roberts said they have high hopes the buses will meet their standards and will prove excellent alternatives for Hillsborough County.
However, the number of initial repairs raises questions about the quality overall, Sibley said. And whether other problems are lurking is unclear because local bus drivers have yet to test-drive them.
He can't say when the buses will be introduced to the public.
"I can only hope that in the next couple of weeks, we'll be doing the performance tests," Sibley said.
Still, that's way ahead of Coconut Creek, north of Fort Lauderdale. Four AVS buses were scheduled to arrive a year and a half ago, said Dave Cherry, a coordinator with the Public Services department.
Two of the buses arrived several weeks ago. And they need work.
"The biggest concern is a little bit of swimming at high speeds," Cherry said.
That was also one of Sibley's complaints. AVS customer service manager Dave Sirmans said the buses are in better shape than they're being portrayed.
"My assertion has been some of these items have been exaggerated a bit," Sirmans said. "I've been to Tampa, and while the steering isn't as responsive as in a production automobile . . . it certainly wasn't all over the road."
Chattanooga officials, at least, are happy AVS customers. After purchasing one electric-hybrid in 1997, they ordered 11 more last year. But they've also recently bought the standard diesel buses.
"As much as we want to be electric and hybrid-electric, the technology is not tried and true," said Ron Sweeney, general manager of the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority.
His dealings with AVS have been fine, he said.
"Naturally, when they can send someone across town versus across the country, it's easier."
- Kathryn Wexler can be reached at (813) 226-3383 or wexler@sptimes.com.