The Costs and Benefits Appraisal Tool for Transit Buses
The Costs and Benefits Appraisal Tool for Transit Buses (“the Tool”) is an updated version of the Costs and Emissions Appraisal Tool for Transit Buses. It aims to inform bus operators and city officials of the costs, emissions, and social benefits associated with bus fleets using different fuel types. The Tool’s outputs can help bus operators make the most cost-efficient decisions when making a clean bus upgrade, allow transit agencies to validate information provided by bus operators, and inform city officials of the social benefits of a low-carbon transit fleet.
To increase the applicability and user-friendliness of the previous tool, this version is published as a webtool with several new features: more default data on electric bus costs and operational information with wider geographic coverage and more bus types; social cost and benefit calculations; and simplified cost functions.
This tool provides an entry point for users to compare cost, operational, and emission data for different types of buses as well as the cost, emission, and social benefit implications of converting from diesel to electric bus fleets. City governments and bus operating agencies should conduct detailed analyses based on local information and business models before making any decisions regarding their bus fleets.