BURBANK — Burbank is going electric. This is not a Jay Leno tag line or a come-on for a new musical. For the first time in the San Fernando Valley, a city has invested in electric buses, replacing dirty, fossil-fuel-burning vehicles with the cleaner machines.
"We're going to be so electrified I can't stand it," joked Robert Tague, Burbank community development director.
Four electric buses are scheduled to enter service in November. They will serve the city's Metrolink station, providing free connections for commuters to three other high-density locations within the city.
Two additional electric buses, to be purchased with Metropolitan Transportation Authority grant money, are expected to be in service within a year on additional routes in the city. A fleet of 10 electric cars and pickup trucks is also planned for city workers' use, though the purchase is still under discussion.
"This will be a first for us," Tague said. "A first, as far as I know, for anyone in the Valley."
Although Santa Monica currently uses electric vehicles for a limited shuttle service to beach areas, and other cities such as Glendale use electric vehicles for tests and limited public displays, Burbank will be the first to put such clean-fuel technology into widespread use, according to Mark Yamarone, Burbank's principal transportation planner.
"Little by little, we'll work the vehicles into our transportation system," he said.
Some vehicles in the county, including some buses in Glendale, already use compressed natural gas, which burns more cleanly than diesel or other fossil fuels. But only Burbank has plans for fleets of electric vehicles, which are virtually nonpolluting.
"Burbank is not the absolute leader, but they're on the cutting edge," said Bill Van Amburg, spokesman for CalStart, a consortium of advanced transportation technology companies based in the San Fernando Valley. "Most cities that even have electric cars only have one or two. To have 10, that's a significant commitment."
"It's impressive," he added.
The purchase of four electric buses, Van Amburg said, represents a serious commitment to electric-powered vehicles.
"Nationally, there's about 100 electric buses in operation," he noted, adding that Santa Barbara and Chattanooga, Tenn., are among the leaders. Chattanooga, he said, operates 15 of the buses.
