By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The Rockford Mass Transit District will replace some of its aging diesel fleet with new battery electric and hybrid buses.
RMTD announced its plans to get the six new electric or hybrid buses Tuesday after learning it would receive a $6.3 million Federal Transit Administration grant to fund the replacement of the 13-year-old diesel buses.
The buses being replaced were purchased in 2009 and have accumulated an average of more than 454,000 miles per vehicle, according to RMTD. Those buses have exceeded their useful life and the new vehicles will ensure RMTD’s fleet is efficient and environmentally friendly, the organization said.
“This investment in RMTD’s vehicles and infrastructure is critical to providing reliable, accessible and sustainable transit to the Rockford region that connects people to employment, education, health care and other services,” RMTD Executive Director Michael Stubbe said in a news release.
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RMTD has 40 fixed-route and 37 paratransit buses. A dozen of its diesel buses need to be replaced. The district has a goal of transitioning to a zero-emissions fleet by 2036. Once these six buses are purchased, about two-thirds of RMTD’s fixed-route fleet will be either hybrid or battery electric buses.
The grant funding the purchase of the vehicles was part of a bipartisan infrastructure law that provides $5.5 billion over five years to go toward low- or no-emission vehicles. For this fiscal year, about $1.1 billion in federal grants is available for the program.
“RMTD wishes to thank Senators (Dick) Durbin and (Tammy) Duckworth, Congresswoman (Cheri) Bustos and Congressman (Adam) Kinzinger for their support of this BiPartisan Infrastructure Law and for supporting RMTD’s grant application for low- and no-emission buses,” Stubbe said.
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This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.