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Agencies Take Delivery of Electric Buses; First for Houston; Gillig Enters Market at County Connection

As part of the growing interest in adding zero-emission electric buses to public transit fleets, Houston’s Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) and the Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection), Concord, CA, recently introduced the vehicles to service.

APTA Chair Doran J. Barnes, executive director, Foothill Transit, West Covina, CA, joined METRO officials Nov. 29 when they took delivery of a 40-foot, zero-emission demonstration bus from Proterra, which will operate in revenue service for a three-month pilot period.

“At METRO, we do our part to reduce emissions in our community by easing congestion and taking single-occupant vehicles off of the road,” said METRO Chair Carrin Patman. “Today, we celebrate the evolution of transit bus technology and emissions reduction by unveiling this bus that is powered by innovation.”

METRO President and CEO Tom Lambert added, “This is a true test of Houston! We will be asking for feedback from METRO operators, mechanics and our customers to learn how this bus compares to a conventionally powered vehicle.”

The bus, which can operate up to 30 miles per charge, will run on a route that covers about 20 miles per round trip. METRO will use the pilot program to gain information about the technology and its performance under actual operating scenarios, such as testing the vehicle’s air conditioning system to simulate summertime conditions in Houston.

The METRO bus fleet includes more than 400 hybrid vehicles and almost 60 that operate on CNG, along with more than 700 with clean diesel engines. This year the agency created a new department focused on innovation.

In California, Gillig recently provided its first four fully electric trolley-replica buses to County Connection to replace diesel vehicles on its free downtown trolley funded by the city of Walnut Creek, CA.

CCCTA Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Rick Ramacier noted that Walnut Creek, which he called “the most pro-transit city in Contra Costa County,” wanted to replace its diesel shuttle buses with wireless electric vehicles. Once County Connection received a $4.32 million FTA Clean Fuels Grant for four electric vehicles and charging equipment, matched with state funding, Ramacier began talking to vendors about creating “a distinctive 29-foot vehicle that looks like a trolley from 100 years ago.”

Ramacier noted that County Connection has a long history with Gillig, which is located nearby, and their conversation led to Gillig entering the electric bus market. Gillig then formed a partnership with BAE Systems, which provides the electric power system, to fulfill the four-bus order and make plans for additional future contracts.

One of the two charging stations is a conventional facility at the County Connection bus yard, while the other is an inductive charging site at the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District’s (BART) Walnut Creek Station. Inductive charging allows the bus operator to recharge the vehicle through electrical infrastructure embedded in the roadway and in vehicle-mounted receiver plates.

Officials welcoming METRO’s demonstration electric bus from Proterra include METRO President & CEO Tom Lambert, left; METRO Board Chair Carrin Patman, fourth from right; APTA Chair Doran J. Barnes, second from right; and Proterra Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales Matt Horton, right.

 
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