Augusta Transit plans to integrate electric buses into its fleet and a recently announced federal grant in the amount of $6,271,325 will come in handy to meet that goal.
The goal is for the city to transition its non-emergency fleet of vehicles to be mostly emissions-free vehicles by 2031.
According to a press release, Senator Raphael Warnock is given credit for helping steer the grant funding to aid the Augusta Transit Goes Electric initiative.
The funding came through the Department of Transportation’s Low or No Emission Vehicle Program that helps state and local governments purchase or lease zero-emission and low-emission transit buses as well as to build necessary infrastructure such as charging stations.
Interim Augusta Administrator Takiyah Douse says the funding will go a long way to help the government continue to offer public transit services while also lowering the service’s carbon footprint.
MORE: Davis invokes right not to incriminate himself in divorce proceedings
“We are thankful for the support of Senator Warnock and the U.S. Department of Transportation. In addition, I commend the Augusta Transit staff’s efforts to transition our transportation system to have a significantly lower environmental impact,” Douse said.
According to Augusta Transit, an emissions inventory for the year 2021 revealed that Augusta Transit’s bus fleet generated 1,121 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
Throughout 2021 and 2022, five electric bus companies have brought their products to Augusta for testing and according to Augusta Transit Director Sharon Dottery, the test program was part of the application process for the federal grant.
“Augusta Transit is committed to providing sustainable and safe transit services, and we are grateful to have the DOT funding to offer a clean and affordable alternative to our residents,” Dottery said.
Dottery says that Augusta will move forward with partnering with battery electric bus company Gillig to replace five of Transit’s traditional fuel buses. Gillig is headquartered out of California.
The long term plan is to replace the diesel fleet one-by-one as the buses reach retirement age.
Scott Hudson is the senior reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
