RTD adds 6 hybrid buses to fleet The Record Published Thursday, Aug 3, 2006 Brian H. Macleod, left, and Sam Enochian look into a hybrid bus at a news conference to announce that the San Joaquin Regional Transit District has added six new hybrid buses to its mass transit fleet. Credit: Calixtro Romias/The record San Joaquin County's public transit just got a little greener. Six new diesel-electric hybrid buses joined the San Joaquin County Regional Transit District's fleet Wednesday, a step in combating poor air quality in the region. The buses, which run on a diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system, are 20 percent to 54 percent more fuel efficient than standard diesel buses, according to GM Allison, a division of General Motors that manufactures the engines. Hayward-based Gillig Corp. assembled the buses, which also reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide, a major smog-forming compound, by up to 50 percent, GM Allison reported. The buses will help the transit agency meet the state's strict clean-air requirements for buses operating in urban areas. ::: Advertisement ::: San Joaquin RTD General Manager Donna Kelsay, local officials and representatives of General Motors gathered at Stockton Arena on Wednesday morning to introduce the fleet. The six new buses are the first of 50 the transit district is buying. It's unclear when the six new buses will go into service and when the remaining buses will arrive. Representatives of the transit district and GM Allison did not return calls requesting comment.