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Tallahassee, FL – StarMetro introduced twelve new 2010 buses into its fleet Tuesday, replacing the aging ones and bringing Tallahassee up-to-date with federal standards. Margie Menzel reports.
The new, 40-foot buses cost nearly $500,000 each, paid for by the Federal Transit Administration. Tallahassee Mayor John Marks said the buses feature clean-diesel technology, making them environmentally friendly.
"Remember these buses running around our city and the thick, black diesel smoke? These buses don't have that," Marks said.
Congressman Allen Boyd, who helped secure the funding for the buses, said clean energy is the wave of the future.
"All of us understand the problems that we face as a nation with energy," said Boyd, "and I don't think the total nation's come to grips yet with some of the things that we're going to have to do if we continue to grow our economy and expand our population."
The bus interiors are decorated with artwork by local school children, who were on hand for the occasion.