Six miles per gallon doesn't sound like much, but don't tell that to the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority.  The transit authority's new diesel-electric hybrid buses get two miles per gallon more than the diesel-only cousins they are replacing. 

This week, the public bus system is putting 14 of the new buses into service. They are joining 10 hybrid buses currently making rounds across the county, and were purchased with federal stimulus money.  "We thought when we got hybrid buses that we'd save about 20 percent on fuel," said PSTA Executive Director Tim Garling. "We'd have been ecstatic if we had that, but we're getting 50 to 56 percent savings," he said.

The diesel-electron hybrids cost about $605,000 each, or about $140,000 more than a diesel-only bus. But PSTA officials hope long-term maintenance on the vehicles will be less than for traditional buses.

Just like a hybrid car, the hybrid buses have a large battery pack. The bus version is mounted on the roof. The battery drives an electric motor that supplements the diesel engine. During stop-and-go traffic, and when stopping at bus stops, the brakes use kinetic energy to regenerate power.

"We want to be in the forefront as far as transit organizations around the country to put as many of these vehicles on the road as fast as we can," said PSTA Board Chairman, R.B. Johnson.

He said the PSTA likely will purchase more hybrid buses in the future. Besides saving money on fuel, they are much quieter than diesel-only buses and don't pollute nearly as much.

suncoastpinellas.tbo.com