August 29, 2019
On Friday, August 24, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced Lextran will receive a $2.3 million grant to expand their electric fleet.
“The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a $2.3 million grant to improve the quality of life and access to transportation for this community,” said Secretary Chao.
Lextran will purchase new, long-range Gillig electric buses and install depot chargers at their facilities on Loudon Avenue to allow overnight charging of the vehicles. The new buses will boast no tailpipe emissions and will replace existing diesel buses which have aged beyond their useful life.
“Lextran is excited to add more green vehicles to our fleet and to be one of the agencies at the forefront of this type of technology,” said Carrie Butler, Lextran General Manager.
The award for Lextran comes as part of $84.45 million in grant selections nationwide also announced Friday through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s highly-competitive Low- or No-Emission Grant Program (“Low-No”).
Lextran will partner with a non-profit research organization to assess the operational benefits of electric buses, which will benefit and inform the wider transit industry.