Vermont public transportation receives pair of electric buses

By Brent Addleman | The Center Square

Two electric buses are now serving Vermonters in one county, Gov. Phil Scott said.

The governor, along with Green Mountain Power, announced two electric buses have replaced two diesel-fueled buses in Rutland County through the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund. The Marble Valley Regional Transit District is the beneficiary of the new buses.

“The transportation sector is Vermont’s largest contributor of carbon emissions, which is why my team and I have prioritized vehicle electrification to combat climate change,” Scott said in the release. “Whether it’s for public transportation or private use, the more accessible we can make electric vehicles the better, and we will continue to work to give Vermonters these options.”

By removing the two diesel fuel busses, an offset of 15,660 gallons of diesel fuel will be created each year and equates to removing 46 cars from roadways when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, according to the release.

The Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust fund footed the bill for the buses, infrastructure upgrades, and equipment, according to the release, through a $1.5 million grant. The funding was incorporated with support from Green Mountain Power via clean electrification incentives that are designed to remove carbon and costs for customers. The Vermont Agency of Transportation and the regional transit district supported the endeavor with funding.

“This is the future, and we are so excited to be part of this pilot program,” Ken Putnam, the executive director of MVRTD, said in the release. “Electric transportation is more efficient, more cost-effective, and cleaner. Being able to access funding through the state helped us go electric years sooner than we would have been able to. It is so great to hear from riders how thrilled they are with the buses and how much they love how quiet they are. And the drivers say the buses are great to drive, with a lot of power.”

Buses, according to the release, are operating between Rutland and Middlebury, and a route to Killington will be added before summer.

The Vermont Energy Investment Corporation is operating the pilot program for the Agency of Natural Resources. The organization will track performance and help widen the use of clean public transportation in the state.

Green Mountain Power, according to the release, has added an incentive for DC fast chargers for the buses.

7 thoughts on “Vermont public transportation receives pair of electric buses

  1. This will be a valuable public demonstration of battery-powered transportation in general and in particular if it is feasible for all-day runs with a fairly large vehicle. The cost per passenger-mile will drop over time
    but people want to know if they will get them where they need to go and will have climate control on par with a petrol vehicle and that they wont catch fire any more often or catastrophically than a petrol vehicle.

  2. “This is the future, and we are so excited to be part of this pilot program,” Ken Putnam, the executive director of MVRTD, said in the release. “Electric transportation is more efficient, more cost-effective, and cleaner.”

    This is mere blabbering by an “excited” person, which should be ignored.

    Vermonters have been brainwashed “this is the future” Horse Manure

    Here is an analysis, BASED ON REAL WORLD OPERATING EXPERIENCE, which shows school bushes and transit buses are NOT COST-EFFECTIVE, BECAUSE OF THE HIGH CAPITAL COSTS.

    The little annual savings do not come close to offsetting the annual cost of amortizing the investment over 15 years, if the batteries last that long, without significantly deteriorating.

    SEE URL

    https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/electric-bus-systems-likely-not-cost-effective-in-vermont-at

  3. “This is the future, and we are so excited to be part of this pilot program,” Ken Putnam, the executive director of MVRTD, said in the release. “Electric transportation is more efficient, more cost-effective, and cleaner.”
    Okay, prove it. Cost per passenger/mile for 12 consecutive months, compared to diesel fueled busses would convince me- and open a lot of eyes. Ridership issues aside, these $800,000 busses are not powered by fairy dust. Since the busses run from 6:45 am to 5:30 pm, they do not recharge using much solar power- and no solar for 6 months in Vermont. How does Marble Valley claim no CO2 emissions, needing to charge these busses during nighttime hours, with hydrocarbon fueled electricity?
    In the battle of platitudes over physics, physics remains undefeated.

    • Yes Frank I’ve not seen comparisons on cars that cost
      30 – 60 thousand more then their fuel fired counterparts but
      the greenie weenies love to throw around “you don’t have to
      buy gas or maintenance”. You do however have a $ 12,000.
      battery that need replacing in 8 years and the normal brake
      and electrical systems repair. There’s no way in heck they are cheaper then fuel fired cars/buses. Your tax dollars
      subsidizing them are what make’s them somewhat affordable however.

  4. Unless the busses are powered by solar panels mounted on their roofs the fuel source will be from coal/oil/gas that powers the grid.

  5. I hope they do better than the bus shown on FB today. A rolling inferno that after watching the video I would not get on.

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