At the request of the federal government, MARCON-DDM determined the best course of action for transit systems to make the transition from conventional diesel fleets to hydrogen buses.

The study provided information to urban transit systems, a knowledge base for industry to assist them in targeting business opportunities with regard to hydrogen fuel cell-powered transit systems.

In short, the urban transit systems represent … o An attractive market for the emerging hydrgen industry as it commercializes product, and o An opportunity for governments to meet a significant portion of their green house gas reduction commitments.

The identification of the most efficient pathway to hydrogen buses was developed through extensive contacts with numerous … o urban transit systems; o bus manufacturers; o hydrogen technology suppliers; o technical training institutions; o codes and standards developers; o government agencies; and o hydrogen bus demonstration projects.

The presentation with outline the challenges and the way forward for urban transit systems to make the transition to hydrogen bus fleets.

Specifically, it will concentrate on the following areas:

o The development of transit bus hydrogen technology; o Regulatory issues at all levels of government; o Risk analysis compared to other technologies used in transit operations; o Specifications for hydrogen transit buses; o The impact on operations and maintenance facilities; o The impact on maintenance practices; o The impact on operations and training budgets; o Fuelling infrastructure and technology; o Supply chain impacts.