The Tyee reports: Ten years ago the people of Hasselt, Belgium embarked upon a bold experiment: no more charging for bus rides. Ever since, they’ve been proving the idea can work wonderfully. This city of 70,000 residents, with 300,000 commuters from the surrounding area, has made traveling by bus easy, affordable, and efficient. Now, people in Hasselt often speak of “their” bus system, and with good reason. The Boulevard Shuttle leaves you waiting for at most five minutes, the Central Shuttle has a 10 minute frequency, and system-wide you never have to wait more than a half an hour.

(more…)

It’s a prototype of a diesel-electric hybrid bus from DaimlerChrysler! The company plans to unveil this bus, the Citaro, to the general public sometime this year. The bus has a sophisticated hybrid system, that allows the bus to run in emission-free battery-only mode. Rather than providing continuous driving power, the diesel engine in the Citaro series hybrid operates as a generator to produce electrical power when required. The electrical power is stored in maintenance-free lithium-ion batteries mounted on the roof of the Citaro. They are charged not only by the diesel generator but also by energy recuperation from braking.

(more…)