Lake County will showcase its new "green" diesel commuter coach model at a celebration in Painesville Township Thursday.
The county's public transportation, Laketran, will demonstrate how clean the new coaches are by attaching a white handkerchief to a coach's exhaust pipe and creating a visual of its emissions output.
A fleet of ten diesel coaches will transport an estimated 175,000 commuters to and from Cleveland each year, according to Laketran. The new models will replace 1998 versions about to go into retirement.
The 40-foot coaches will seat 47 people in forward-facing, reclining seats, Laketran said. They will have on-board security cameras, two exterior bike racks, a wheelchair lift, overhead storage compartments, and electric fare boxes.
The coaches are scheduled to make 18 daily departures from nine Park-n_Ride locations that connect Lake County and downtown Cleveland. Laketran also intends to use them for Bus on Shoulder service on Interstate 90/state Route 2 westbound and eastbound shoulders during times when traffic is moving less than 30 mph.
