All aboard the big shiny bus

Climb aboard the sleek hybrid bus on display last week in Dakota County, and it's easy to see why the old boxlike, rumbling city buses could become a thing of the past.¶ This 60-foot articulated bus -- with two big segments connected by an accordion-like structure -- came to Apple Valley as a demonstration for officials mulling what kind of rapid-transit buses will best serve communities from Lakeville to Minneapolis.¶ The new system, to be integrated with light rail and buses serving other parts of the metro area, comes as citizens are grappling with rising fuel costs and increasingly congested thoroughfares. Fares will be well under the cost of a gallon of gasoline, and commuters will get to work faster on buses.

"The first impact has now hit the country of $4-a-gallon gasoline, soon to hit $6-a-gallon gasoline, and mass transit is going to be a way of life," said Bob Ward, regional sales manager for the hybrid's manufacturer, North American Bus Industries of Anniston, Ala.

It's not yet certain whether the new buses will be hybrids, and whether they'll be powered by compressed natural gas or diesel. Also undecided are amenities, such as access to wireless Internet on buses.

That will depend on what the public wants and the costs, according to Dan Krom, transit manager for Dakota County, and Sam O'Connell, a transit specialist for the county.

The hybrid bus that came to Apple Valley for a day, with its light-rail look and big windows, is powered by compressed natural gas stored in tanks on the roof.

The spiffy bus drew the curious, including Theresa DiMarco, a 31-year-old environmental manager for Dakota County. She said she'd ride for the fuel savings and the convenience. "It picks up a block from my house," she said.

The bus has five doors -- two on one side, three on the other -- which speeds passenger loading and unloading, Ward said.

When the hybrid bus needs more power, the compressed natural gas engine kicks in. The engine uses heat from braking to recharge the electrical system.

Patrick McNamara of Inver Grove Heights and his son, Jaron, climbed aboard for a ride along with public officials and a few other citizens.

"We like it," the elder McNamara said.

He said his son is disabled and his wife is blind, so the family needs accessibility.

The driver soon after deflated air shocks so the front of the bus lowered to "kneel" at curb height. A ramp unfolded, like a flip-phone, to the curb, and a man in a wheelchair boarded.

But Rep. Shelly Madore, DFL-Apple Valley and Burnsville, noted that the buses need more than two or three spots for wheelchairs, given the county's aging population.

The new bus service will be phased in over the next four years, with express and stop-to-stop service.

In 2010, Cedar Avenue will be expanded to include the 14-foot shoulders on which the buses will run. They can go 35 mph when traffic is stopped.

By 2012, eight to 10 rapid-transit buses are to be on line in the south metro area, running every seven to 15 minutes, O'Connell said.

Many cities are eyeing hybrid buses, said Ward, who conducted similar demos recently in the Kansas City and Denver areas. Los Angeles now uses about 400 buses of this kind, he said.

In Lakeville, two transitways, including one with express service to Minneapolis, are to be rolling by September 2009.

It couldn't come soon enough in a growing community where businesses and residents alike want transit, said David Olson, the city's economic development director.

"Lakeville is a city of 55,000 and we don't have any bus service," he said. "We're competing with communities such as Woodbury, Maple Grove and Eden Prairie that have transit service."

There will be at least five buses on Cedar Avenue serving Lakeville during rush hours, and an additional six buses on I-35 during that morning and evening peak usage.

In addition, there will be a separate, 16-mile, bus rapid transit on Cedar Avenue with stops at five new transit stations and park-and-ride lots. It will run from Lakeville, through Apple Valley and Eagan and on to the Mall of America and downtown Minneapolis.

The system is being developed by the Metropolitan Council, Minnesota Valley Transit Authority, Dakota County and communities along the corridors.

The agencies face a tight deadline.

Five new transit stations along the Cedar Avenue corridor must be open by Sept. 30, 2009, in order for reimbursement from $133 million in federal funds, Krom said.

That's available for the south metro and Minneapolis to develop transit as well high-occupancy toll lanes for cars. Those federal funds are matched by $55 million in state money.

"The whole project would be in jeopardy if we don't deliver these stations," Krom said.

Overall, Madore said, there's $217 million from local, county, state and federal funds for the south metro and Minneapolis projects, including for new buses, roadway improvements and land acquisition.

Joy Powell • 952-882-9017