Buses drive 'greener'

The motor coach industry wants a wider public to know its environmental initiatives amount to more than a thin green patina.From its Canadian factories to its clean diesel, low emission buses, Schaumburg-based Motor Coach Industries International maintains its green message resonates with its motor coach operator clients."We are getting a lot of calls from out customers asking what we're doing so they can tell their customers," said Richard L. Hausman, owner of Chicago Classic Coach, based in Mount Prospect.Hausman this week took delivery of two Motor Coach Industries buses that use ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel along with a high-tech filter that captures 90 percent more soot than what buses emitted even last year, according to Motor Coach Industries, or MCI.MCI Senior Vice President Pete Cotter foresees wider use of commuter motor coaches as an environmentally friendly initiative."Sixty percent of our business is on the East coast," said Cotter, noting dedicated bus lanes attract riders. "If you have 57 passengers, that could be 57 cars not on the road."By 2010, the $1.2 billion motor coach industry wants riders to know its fuel pipes will be emitting less than 10 percent of the smog of past buses.The Environmental Protection Agency maintains "diesel emissions contain large amounts of nitrogen oxides and fine particles (soot). Nitrogen oxides are precursors of ozone (smog), which is a lung irritant, and fine particles can aggravate respiratory and heart diseases. EPA has found that fine particles from diesel engines are a leading public health risk in the Midwest."The EPA is mandating reductions in emissions, which apply this year equally to large trucks and motor coaches.Because the exhaust from new models of motor coaches hasn't been visible for a while, some industry insiders worry the public won't get their message that the industry changed.To visually show the change, MCI officials this week held a white handkerchief to the exhaust pipe of a new Chicago Classic motor coach. The pipe didn't burn the hand and the exhaust caused no color or odor change."Go Green. Go Coach. Go MCI" is a company slogan at the Schaumburg firm, the largest U.S. motor coach manufacturer.Still, parents for years have worried about the black carbon clouds puffing out the back of school buses. With federal funding, the EPA reports several school districts in the Chicago area are retrofitting buses with filters.The motor coach industry, meanwhile, differentiates itself from school buses and those used by other agencies, such as Pace.Many motor coaches are used as tour buses and for inter-city travel, such as Greyhound. The average motor coach costs from $400,000 to $450,000, according to industry statistics.Last year the changes to reduce emissions caused anxiety in the diesel industry as some operators wondered if breakdowns would increase and if clean diesel would not catch on quickly enough.Low sulfur diesel fuel started flowing at gas stations a year ago next week, and high-tech, self-cleaning filters have been humming away since the beginning of the year.Today, clean diesel pumps flow at about 90 percent of diesel retail service stations. And truck and bus operators report no loss in power or fuel economy, according to a study by the Diesel Technology Forum, a Washington D.C.-based industry association."The good news (this year) is there isn't bad news," said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the group.More change down the road includes hybrid buses and fuel cell hybrid buses, according to David Shearer, chief scientist at California Environmental Associates, a consulting firm."There are a few actual zero emission buses out there," Shearer said. "The problem is supplying enough fuel. The technology is not there yet."Motor Coach Industries business profileMCI is the biggest U.S. motor coach manufacturerOwnership: New York-based JLL PartnersCEO: Tom Sorrells IIIHeadquarters: SchaumburgRevenue: $692 millionLocal sites: Schaumburg, Des PlainesService centers: NineDistribution center: Louisville, Ky.Source: Hoovers.com 348512A handkerchief test Wednesday shows no discoloring by a tailpipe on a running Motor Coach Industries International bus.Daniel White | Staff Photographer