New tests are being announced everyday regarding hybrid buses in different transport sectors. While not new on the scene, hybrid buses are certainly changing the landscape. From private to public transport hybrid buses are becoming available and are being noticed.

Two-week testing began this week at Haneda airport in Tokyo of the Hino hybrid wireless bus. The bus which will transport between airport terminals charges without the need to plug-in as it uses an electromagnetic inductive charging setup. Essentially this is a plug-in hybrid vehicle that doesn’t need to be plugged-in.

While Mercedes-Benz plans their next move to field test the Citaro G BlueTec Hybrid in the public-transport sector, it was announced the beginning of February that this urban bus received the 2008 DEKRA environmental award. Mercedes-Benz has sold an estimated 2600 hybrid buses and has their site set on making a more cost-effective diesel-electric, hybrid urban bus as well. Mercedes-Benz services the US market through its Orion brand.

Transit companies are either in testing mode or are awaiting the results of others. It goes beyond public transit as well. School districts are jumping on board to go green. Some districts find the cost of a new hybrid school bus as high as $200,000 so they find other solutions such as converting a bus that costs less than $100,000 and adding less than a third of that cost into the package to convert.

The numbers may be low nationwide as to school bus hybrids in motion but as the numbers grow other school districts are taking notice. The same can be said everywhere. People are taking notice and none more so than those spending tax payer dollars. While the initial cost of the vehicles may be high in some cases they are doing the math and know the long term savings.

As the price of oil increases it is likely that we all will be shopping for the same savings at home. Either we will be driving a hybrid car, or we can take the bus.