I just came from the grocery store. When I pulled into the parking lot, there was a full length RTD (Regional Transportation District) bus designated ‘shopper service’ in the fire zone. The bus was gas powered, engine running. I went into the store, spent 20 minutes inside, and then I spent another 5 minutes waiting for another person whom accompanied me. When we left the store parking lot, the RTD bus was still there, engine still idling. RTD has electric buses, shorter buses, even call and ride service. There is no need to utilize a full length bus for such an excursion.
Update:Dylstart..I understand the dynamics of starting an engine, and letting it idle. The very subtle point WAS - IS that it was a bus with 40 -50 person capacity. Not even ten people road that bus. They where elderly, seasoned citizens. I was in the store. There wasn’t by any stretch of the sense 40 seasoned citizens in the store. I also pointed out, the city of Denver DOES have electric busses, they choose to run them up and down the 16th Street Mall instead of allocating even one to shuttle seasoned citizens to the grocery store, hell they even have shorter (electric) conversion vans they run through this very same neighborhood. Are we beginning to get the BIG PICTURE yet?
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First, it is a myth that shutting off and restarting even a diesel engine is bad or less fuel efficient. In old diesel engines, befor electric glow plugs, you may have to wait a minute before you could restart the engine. The only reason to let a truck idol is to create energy to run other things like, air conditioning, heating, tv's microwaves etc. In CA it is now illegal to idle diesel trucks, if drivers want to be comfortable in their cabs they have to get auxilliary generators.
Back to the question asked. Where is the incentive, how about to help offset waste. We can't all take the attitide of Pres. Bush and say I'm not going to do my part unless you agree to do your part. It is up to each of us individually to make better choices. The other incentive is almost all environmentally friendly changes save you money. It sounded like you carpooled to the grocery store, great choice.
It may be worth your time to make a phone call or drop an email to your local RTD office and let them know about this waste of fuel. As the cost of fuel increases, most business are looking for ways to save money, you can suggest that the driver park the bus and find a cool place to wait instead of idoling for 20 or more minutes.
Get involved with the solution. It feels great.
No there isn't unless the bus was full before you arrived
The bus was left running the entire time because starting a large diesel engine isn't the same as starting a gas engine.
It would use 5 times the fuel to restart it as it does to leave it running. This is why tractor trailers are left running while the opperator are sleeping in the cabin
Diesels truck are more efficient in moving carg than gasoline engine's could ever be. Contact Kenworth for more information
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PS I don't know the exact stats for you, I'm just a knoledgable person not a diesel mechanic or a scientist.
If diesel engines are ever mated with hybrid technology
it will be more practical to leave the engine running at night than to restart it in the morning
difficult to convey my point
Please do not post rants on Yahoo Answers. It's created for asking genuine questions. If you want to rant, start a blog.