Oakville Transit Leader in Testing Hydrogen Power

Testing is currently underway for the pilot project, which is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption. 

"This innovative approach makes public transit an even 'greener' option," Mayor Burton said. "This project supports a number of Council's strategic goals. It is a step towards creating environmentally sustainable programs and services, and it has the potential to enhance our natural environment."
 
Director of Transit Services Barry Cole agreed that the project has great potential. "We saw an opportunity to be a leader in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and we took it," he stated. "This is new technology, and we are the first public transit property in North America to test the system's application on its fleet. If our testing supports the product claims, we plan to implement the technology on a larger scale."

Tom Brown, President and CEO of Hy-Drive, stated that "This is a great day for the Town of Oakville and for our company. Hy-Drive is thrilled to be partnering with the Town to address an issue that is on all our minds today: the health of our planet."
 
"We are excited to be working with Oakville Transit to bring the technology to public transport," Brown added.

The current testing phase will run until November 2007, at which point the results will be evaluated. If the required benchmarks are met, a staged rollout will follow to allow for further evaluation of the systems under broader operating conditions.

-30-

Media Contacts:
Barry Cole
Director, Transit Services
Oakville Transit
Town of Oakville
905-845-6601, ext. 3507
bcole@oakville.ca

Tom Brown
President & CEO
Hy-Drive Technologies Ltd.
905-542-3024
tombrown@hy-drive.com