Trends in emission standards and the implication for bus fleet management : technology assessment for Brisbane transport

This paper establishes the importance of emission standards for the decision making during the process of procurement of new public transport buses. Frequent changes in the emission standards add to the uncertainty during the decision making for fleet management. A bus has a life expectancy of about 20 years. During its lifespan if the emission standards change and it can no longer satisfy the requirements then the bus have to be phased out or upgraded to comply with the emission requirements - which cost money and time thus leading to financial and service losses. The objective of a decision maker while investing is to optimize the returns of the investments - low costs for high returns. Furthermore, this study provides recommendations to the fleet manager for selecting new buses, in terms of technology and emissions, in order to attain the 2026 patronage and emissions targets for Brisbane. This paper concludes that a bus fleet of 1000 - 1350 buses in 2026 will be required to meet the patronage targets. Brisbane Transport should invest in Hythane buses to achieve the 2026 emission target. Hythane buses have advantages over other technologies, as these buses can capitalize on the existing CNG bus infrastructure.