GET unveils new natural-gas powered buses
BY COURTENAY EDELHART, Californian staff writer cedelhart@bakersfield.com
Golden Empire Transit District on Tuesday unveiled the newest additions to the city's bus fleet, 27 natural gas-powered buses in a new color scheme meant to evoke the Bakersfield horizon.
The district has 27 new turquoise blue, green and yellow buses in-hand already, and anticipates delivery of five more "shortly," said GET Chief Executive Officer Karen King.
Related Photos
Anne Schoolcraft tries the seats in one of the new GET buses that were introduced to the media Tuesday. At right is Dolly Rivas, who is finishing her training to be a driver for GET.
New buses, new colors, and new branding, GET is ready to meet the transportation needs of a growing Bakersfield.
They handle like a dream and look good too! The new GET buses make a parade lap around the GET administration offices on Golden State Avenue.
New buses and branding are meant to serve the transportation needs of Bakersfield residents.
The entire $16 million cost of the 32 new buses was paid for with state and federal grants, King said.
"We've had this in the works for a while," she said. "Getting a new fleet is an opportunity. It conveys the message that we are a vibrant, responsive transit district ready to meet the needs of a growing community."
Operating a compressed natural gas-powered bus is the equivalent of taking 17 to 33 passenger cars off the road, according to the Coalition for Clean Air. Exhaust from heavy-duty diesel engines contains between 100 and 200 times more small particles than gasoline engine exhaust.
Just before joining GET employees and board members cutting a giant red ribbon with oversized scissors, Mayor Harvey Hall praised the cheerful color scheme, the first update in more than 20 years.
"As we stand here on a good Bakersfield day with sunshine and blue skies, we can see ... we have behind us a bus that says, 'We are green, we have sunshine, and we have blue skies,'" he said.
The new buses are turquoise with a strip of green on the bottom anchored by a sunburst. Older buses are white with a red GET logo on the bottom.
Prior to the addition of the new buses, the city had 81 buses in its fleet.
Seventeen of the new buses replace aging vehicles that were taken out of service. The remaining new buses expand the city's fleet by 10 for a total of 91.
Anne Schoolcraft, Ride Share coordinator for Kern Council of Governments, said she hopes the clean-powered new buses will inspire more people to use public transportation and other alternate methods of commuting.
"This is wonderful for our community," she said. "Even if it's just one day a week, it's such a savings in terms of your wallet, exercise and air quality."
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