GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) – The air along the streets of Greensboro might become a bit cleaner sometime soon.
The city on Monday was given a transportation grant of more than $3 million to replace aging and declining city buses with electric buses.
That was one of 70 projects in 39 states announced in $409.3 million by the Federal Transit Administration as part of the infrastructure grant.
These allocations were made specifically to “modernize and electrify” bus systems and routes with a goal to make them safer and more reliable, a release from the U.S. Department of Transportation said. The goal is to help clean up emissions and make bus systems cleaner overall.
Greensboro Transit Authority long has had a commitment to alternative fuel vehicles. The city bought 10 electric buses as recently as 2018 (the cost was $1.9 million then). At the time, that gave the fleet 13 buses, which the city claimed to be the largest such fleet in the southeast.
"The City of Greensboro is slated to receive $3,008,800. Along with the local match of $465,000, we would be able to purchase 4 battery-electric buses and charging hardware," Greensboro Transit Agency spokesperson Kevin Elwood said in an email response to questions. "We currently have 55 buses in our fixed-route fleet, 17 of which are battery-electric. For our paratransit services, we currently have 48 buses, none of which are battery-electric.
Greensboro was one of three projects in North Carolina included on the list of grants. The city of Durham received $10.8 million to renovate and upgrade its Durham Station, and the city of Concord received just less than $4 million to replace older buses with hybrid electric vehicles.
The FTA said in its release that it had received more than $2.5 billion in funding requests. Another $5.1 billion is authorized during the next five years under the Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program.
“Transit agencies are replacing aging buses and facilities with newer, cleaner infrastructure that is more efficient to operate and maintain,” FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez said in the release from the Department of Transportation. “Modern buses, especially those powered with electric batteries or fuel cells, improve air quality and help us address the climate crisis.”
Said Elwood: "The money approved by the FTA is specifically for transit infrastructure, meaning it can only be used for buses, buildings, shelters, etc. It cannot be used for operating expenses.'
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