If truck drivers could do like TANK and Metro…
Friday, April 25th, 2008
It’s no secret that the price of gas and diesel are both on a sharp rise. Truck drivers are feeling the pinch and those who are independent are having trouble making ends meet. No doubt it’s a tough time to be in a transportation based industry and like it or not, we are depending on what is in those trucks for a lot of our needs and wants.
In an economy where the old way is incredibly expensive and getting worse, the smart thing to do is to evolve. Technology is working to meet the challenges and items such as CFL bulbs, solar hot water heaters, and improved windows and insulation are making their way into houses all over the world. Transportation is a sticky point. Industry change is slow and at times appears to be falling behind the challenges. Hybrid-electric automobile sales are on the rise and this key market has rocketed Toyota into the upper eschelon of automobile makers (while at the same time hurting companies who have been slower to change). The indicators are obvious and luckily consumer demand for smarter products is pouring in.
Locally, we can see change in the bus companies. Over the past few years, Metro has adopted soybean based biodiesel as the fuel of choice for their fleet. The TANK Southbank shuttle recently added a set of hybrid-electric buses into it’s regular route. TANK estimates that this change will allow them to save $200,000 in fuel costs over the 12-year life of the new buses. I’m not certain exactly how much a new hybrid-electric bus costs, but that sounds to me like they may just break even on the hybrid investment.
Businesses that depend on natural resources have to evolve. Automakers, shipping companies and airlines are the tip of the iceberg. Consumer support of the commitments to change like Metro and TANK have provided are important. Public transportation is reliable and efficient. A streetcar would compliment this system, providing a consistent and simple addition for riders to specific destinations in town.
It all adds up to you, the individual, not spending your hard earned money on fuel that is becoming scarce and more expensive to find, extract, prepare, and transport. Park the car. Take a ride. Save a buck. Reduce pollution. And most important, leave road rage behind!
You hit the nail on the head there. More than any other factor, I love getting home with no road rage. I would need a half hour to decompress driving, now I get home and I’m ready to go.