Omaha Metro Transit launches new electric buses, has plans to expand
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - It’s been a two-year process, but Metro Transit launched its first electric buses Tuesday morning.
The company made the announcement Monday, stating the buses were made possible by a competitive federal grant and thanks to support from the Nebraska Environmental Trust.
“We are really looking to make sure that we are protecting our region, that we’re still viable, a great place to live, work, and play in the future and into future generations,” Metro Transit’s CEO, Lauren Cencic, tells 6 News Tuesday.
The new buses will catch your eye, but not your ear, they’re extremely quiet.
“So, if you ride on one of these new buses, you’ll have a very different experience in terms of how quiet they are,” she adds.
The three new buses are the first in Metro’s fleet that doesn’t run on diesel or alternative fuel.
“The electric buses are zero-emission vehicles, 100% battery powered, they don’t have a traditional engine and transmission in them, fully chargeable, electric bus.”
It takes anywhere from three to five hours to fully charge the buses.
Nebraska is behind the curve when it comes to electric vehicles, their availability, and charging stations.
“It is a demonstration project in some ways, it shows all of us that ‘yep, electric vehicles can work and they can be part of the equation here,’” says UNO’s John Bartle, the Dean of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service.
He reiterates that if the energy for electric vehicles is coming from coal-fired plants, there are still some cons. It’s creating pollution in other places. However, electric cars and buses have a much bigger impact when they’re powered by renewable sources, like wind and solar.
“You know, I don’t think this is going to be a major move towards sustainability,” Bartle says about the three new buses. “But, to some degree it’s symbolic and I think that’s important, but also to some degree it begins things, it starts things, and I think that’s an advantage.”
And Cencic says this is a start. Metro’s board passed a resolution in support of climate change adaptation, with a goal of achieving a net-zero emission fleet of buses.
She says these three buses are the first step and will help them understand more about the electric buses and how they operate.
“Metro will be reviewing these buses for a number of things, one of which is their battery life, how long they’re on the street, we’ll be watching to see how they react in different situations including inclement weather and hillier routes,” she says. “All of that is going to give us information to help inform and plan, and in that plan, we are always looking to be transitioning to cleaner, more sustainable vehicles as we replace them.”
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