The Minnesota Department of Transportation recently secured a $3.4 million federal grant for six electric buses. The new buses will replace six conventional gas powered buses at the following rural transit systems in Greater Minnesota.
Prairie Lakes Transit/Faribault-Martin County Transit Board will receive one bus for the Fairmont service, Heartland Express/Brown County Human Services New Ulm service will get two buses, SMART/Cedar Valley Services, Inc. Owatonna service will have one bus and Minnesota River Valley Transit for their St. Peter and Le Sueur service will receive two buses.
The funds com from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides $5.5 billion over five years for “Low or No Emission Vehicle Program.”
The six buses being replaced travel approximately 173,300 miles and consume 30,500 gallons of fuel each year.
The grant funding, along with a $425,196 local match from MnDOT, also covers charging equipment, tools, related infrastructure, training and administrative support. Agencies receiving a second bus are responsible for the local match for the second vehicle.
Planning for the projects will start later this year. Infrastructure for the buses should be in place by September 2024, with buses on the road by September 2025.