The effects of maintenance on the fuel efficiency of public buses

Abstract

We present the results of a study on the effects of maintenance on the fuel efficiencies of a fleet of public buses. We classified maintenance into major, minor, and ineffective based on their expected levels of impact on fuel consumption. The results show a significant improvement in fuel efficiency each time major maintenance is applied. The relationship between fuel efficiency and vehicle mileage after the application of major maintenance was found to be non-linear, and fuel efficiency drops by 2.8 and 3.4% as the mileage reaches 3500 and 7000 km respectively. We also examined the effects of minor maintenance, vehicle usage and weather conditions, and compared the effect of corrective maintenance with that of preventive maintenance. © 1990.