Elsewhere in the state of Tennessee, Azure announced two Balance Hybrid Electric orders from the Nashville MTA for its Access Ride program. The buses specified by the MTA are flexible enough to accommodate 12 seated passengers, six wheelchair passengers or a combination of the two.
The new 950,000-square-foot BCBST campus occupies the top of historic Cameron Hill in Chattanooga. BCBST is providing company’s 19-passenger hybrid electric-powered shuttle bus to transport employees from their hilltop office campus to its other downtown offices as well as various locations in the city throughout the workday.
Our new headquarters campus incorporates numerous attributes designed to reduce our energy usage and lessen our environmental impact, so the Azure Dynamics hybrid electric Series CitiBus is an ideal solution for our employee transportation needs, said Dan Jacobson, vice president of properties and corporate services at BCBST. The new hybrid shuttle will help make the efforts of our 4,500 employees more productive and convenient. It’s consistent with everything else we’re doing to reflect sustainability in all of our operations.
BCBST is focused on protecting the environment in its hometown, and we’re delighted to be a part of the solution, said Scott Harrison, Azure Dynamics chief executive officer.
Scott Harrison added, the company needed a product that’s efficient, flexible and environmentally friendly in start-and-stop city conditions without any sacrifice in performance or reliability. That’s the description of company’s Series CitiBus.
Chattanooga’s Advanced Transportation Technology Institute (ATTI), a non-profit entity for alternative energy solutions, introduced the AZD bus to BCBST after seeing it at the Electric Vehicle Society-23 Expo in December 2007. Our national role is to recommend transportation solutions that are environmentally progressive and cost efficient. The Series CitiBus fully meets those standards, said Jim Frierson, ATTI’s executive director.
The Azure Series CitiBus has become a preferred shuttle for municipalities and public agencies across the country seeking cleaner and smarter transit options. BCBST is the corporate customer in the nation for the new vehicle.
The Azure vehicle platforms, the Series CitiBus for BCBST and the two Balance Hybrid Electrics specified by Nashville MTA, increase fuel economy by up to 40% while offering up to a 30% reduction in greenhouse emissions. The buses also reduce maintenance costs by up to 30%. With its electric-launch assist, engine-off at idle and regenerative braking, the Azure products are ideally suited for the tough start and stop conditions endured by shuttle buses. As a result, Azure Dynamics customers can expect considerable benefits in terms of fuel efficiency and maintenance costs while also reducing their carbon foot print and improving air quality.
Mid-South Bus in Murfreesboro, Tennessee is the distributor for the Chattanooga and Nashville buses.
