Ball State University's newest addition to its bus fleet looks identical to the other buses with the exception of an electric hybrid sticker on its left rear side. At the shuttle stops, it burps a near undetectable emission upon acceleration, and the only sounds it makes are its tires rolling down the street followed by a pleasant whine from the turbine power plant, said Lou George, service supervisor for facilities planning and management.

"The biggest benefit of this bus is how little impact it has on the environment," he said. "And not just any environment, either, but the heart of campus, the main corridor where most of our students reside and walk to class."

The high-tech bus is fuel efficient, typically burning only 26 gallons a day compared to nearly 40 gallons by the other busses; it requires less maintenance because it has no oil or belts that need to be replaced; and it can run all day on a single charge.

Adding this bus to the fleet is the next logical step in running a "cleaner" fleet of campus vehicles. Two years ago, the university switched its bus fleet to bio-diesel fuel, which is biodegradable and significantly reduces bus emissions, said Sue Weller, director of facilities bus services/transportation.

"We are committed to making our campus environmentally friendly, and we feel this is the shuttle bus of the future," she said. "We will save money on fuel, and emissions from this bus are almost nonexistent. Our university is known for being a leader in technology, and our bus fleet is no different."

Converting the fleet to the cleaner fuel source earned accolades from the National Wildlife Federation's "Campus Environmental Yearbook," one of 46 initiatives honored in 2003-04.

The bus was purchased from E-Bus, based in Downey, Calif., at a cost of $284,000. Other communities using similar buses are Indianapolis, Atlanta and Anaheim, Calif.