The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced Tuesday it had secured a $3.4 million federal grant for six electric buses.
The new buses, MnDOT said, will replace six conventional gas-powered buses in rural transit systems in that state, including two buses for the New Ulm service line in Heartland Express/Brown County Human Services; one bus on the Owatonna service line in the SMART/Cedar Valley Services, and one bus for the Fairmont service line with the Prairie Lakes Transit/Faribault-Martin County Transit Board.
“Deploying battery electric buses in place of fossil fuel vehicles will reduce energy consumption and harmful emissions, including greenhouse gases and particulates,” said Amber Dallman, MnDOT’s Transit Programs and Implementation assistant director. “Public transit is an important part of our transportation system. Many people in rural areas rely on transit to access jobs, shopping, and health care. This project helps us make service improvements while working to reduce emissions.”
Funding for the grants comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will provide more than $5.5 billion for the “Low or No-Emission Vehicle Program” over the next five years. The grant, along with a $425,196 local match from MnDOT, will cover charging equipment, tools, related infrastructure, training, and administrative support.
MnDOT said the buses being replaced collectively travel approximately 173,300 miles each year, using more than 30,500 gallons of fuel. Agencies receiving a second bus will be responsible for a $45,402 local match for the extra vehicle.