Metronit

The Metronit (Hebrew: מטרונית‎, pronounced Metro-neet; in the logo on the vehicle it is spelled "Matronit"), is a new bus rapid transit system in Haifa, Israel.

Overview

Name

The name, Metronit, was among some 500 suggestions submitted by the public in a prize-winning competition.Metronit was chosen for several reasons. The name itself was deemed to be easily expressed, catchy and unique. The Hebrew word, "Matronit" - meaning "respectable woman" or "lady" in Hebrew - was felt to convey a feeling of elegance and respectability. The prefix "Metro-" implies an efficient metropolitan rapid transportation system; the trailing "-it" is in line with Haifa's existing Carmelit funicular subway and the Shkhunatit internal neighbourhood minibus system.

Vehicles

The Metronit consists of 90 18.75-meter long high-capacity buses on three routes, with a capacity of 120-140 passengers per bus. Some of the buses operate with hybrid engines (six Phileas buses manufactured by APTS) and are currently being evaluated for more widespread use. The rest of the buses are conventional MAN Lion's City GL Diesel powered buses. The network is a total of 60 km (37 mi) in length - of which 40 km (25 mi) are dedicated roadways.