SUFFOLK, Va.-- Suffolk Transit was awarded a $565,000 grant from the Department of Transportation’s newest “Low or No Emission Vehicle Program.” The money will be used for purchasing two electric buses and charging stations.
“We are thrilled to get this competitive grant and to start introducing electric buses into the fleet. This is a great opportunity for us to learn the capabilities of these greener vehicles and significantly reduce our fuel and maintenance costs,” said Maria Ptakowski, Transit Manager.
According to Suffolk Transit, each bus has a travel length of 125 miles (about 2 hours) before needing to recharge. They plan to charge one bus at a time while saving up to 83% in fuel and maintenance costs compared to standard buses.
“Electric and natural gas vehicles offer a clean and affordable alternative to traditional fuel vehicles,” said U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced the grant.
Both buses will also be wheelchair accessible and include bike racks for a total of 19 passengers.
“We are glad to see Virginia receive this funding to support the adoption of more energy-efficient vehicles and the needed infrastructure to continue our transition to a transportation system with a significantly lower impact on the environment,” said the senators.
Out of the two VA state transit systems, only Suffolk received a grant.
