Abstract:

The Costs and Emissions Appraisal Tool for Transit Buses (“the Tool”) is intended to help bus operators and transit agencies make informed decisions about alternative bus types during the preliminary analysis phase and to help them determine whether the transition to a “clean fleet” is financially viable and worthwhile based on expected emissions reductions. The Excel-based Tool as highlighted in this research paper allows users to compare the cost and emissions reductions of two bus fleets, each composed of up to three bus types. Bus types can differ in terms of fuel type, the technology used to achieve different emissions standards, and length. Users can input fuel and vehicle unit cost data for a city or country. If they lack these data, they can use the default data for Brazil and the United States included in the Tool. Based on either the inputted or default data, the Tool calculates the costs and emissions of each bus type and the total costs and emissions of each fleet. This easy-to-use Excel-based Tool allows users to examine costs and emissions as part of an initial screening of potential bus fleets. More comprehensive analysis is needed for final decision making. But it has certain limitations also which have been highlighted in the paper.