Stock photo of the new Metrobus model.

Yesterday, WMATA provided a sneak peek at the new Metro buses which will be hitting District roads by the end of the year. The 152 new buses, New Flyer Xcelsiors models, are hybrid-electric buses which feature a slightly different paint job (more silver!) and are much more like a Circulator bus than the traditional Metrobus — plastic seats, lower floors and more durable cloth fabric on the seats. Each new bus can accommodate about 60 people, and features yellow hand loops for shorter riders to hold on to. (You can check out more stock photos here; the Post has some video on the new buses, which we’ve embedded below.) The new buses cost Metro $571,737 each, and will be paid for with funds set aside in a capital improvement program and around $40 million in federal funds.

The lighter, more fuel efficient buses are expected to cut back on gas prices — currently, Metro spends $3.35 per gallon for bulk diesel fuel, which is up $1.20 over the last year. As far as safety goes, the new rides will each contain five video cameras and are outfitted with various other safety improvements like LED headlights, an improved braking system, a computer that warns customers when they are standing too close to the door, and improvements for drivers like adjustable seats and better-positioned mirrors and windows.

The new buses will be assigned numbers 7001 through 7152, so if the new look isn’t a dead giveaway, you’ll be able to tell when you’re riding one.