Ten Ohio communities will from the federal government to put toward greener public transportation 鈥� including six in rural areas.
The funds, from the , will help transit departments to replace their aging buses with new electric ones and increase the size of their fleets. Advocates in rural communities believe the funding will help small towns build the infrastructure they need to embrace electric vehicles.
Seneca-Crawford Area Transportation (SCAT), in northern Ohio, received more than $3 million to buy 10 new electric buses, said Mary Habig, transit director at SCAT.
鈥淥ur fleet is aging,鈥� Haybig said. 鈥淎nd I think electric vehicles are the future. Why not try it?鈥�
Improved infrastructure
Some of SCAT鈥檚 buses are over a decade old with more than 200,000 miles on them, said Habig. That means they often require maintenance that drives up operating costs.
鈥淲e're replacing transmissions, we are replacing alternators,鈥� she said. 鈥淸There鈥檚] a lot of serious repairs right now with these aging vehicles.鈥�
With the federal funding, Habig said bus-related costs will likely go down, since they鈥檒l be able to retire some of the old and costly buses. That will at least be the case in the short-term, until the department needs to replace the electric vehicles鈥� batteries, she said.
Most importantly, she said the investment will also help the rural area to scale up its infrastructure for electric vehicles.
The rural area has longer and more remote routes than large metros, which can be a challenge for electric vehicles. Habig said the grant will allow them to build four new charging stations in the counties鈥� biggest cities, like Tiffin and Bucyrus. And, she said, they can rely on nearby urban areas for longer trips.
鈥淲ith Toledo being part of this grant too, they will have charging stations. We鈥檙e hoping to partner with them,鈥� she said.
The money is a part of a flurry of funding coming to Ohio to expand electric vehicle infrastructure. This month, DeWine also to use federal funds to set up more than 20 charging stations across the state.
Expanding access
Habig said the electric buses will help expand the number of rural Ohioans it can serve.
鈥淲hen you live in rural Ohio, you don't have a doctor's office a minute away,鈥� Habig said. 鈥淪ome people are on a bus an hour to get to medical care. They just don't have the access to drive and some people just can't afford vehicles.鈥�
Although she admits the transit system is often underutilized, Habig said she hopes this grant can help bring more people onto its buses. She said while some of the funding will go towards replacing old vehicles, it also increases the number of buses in its fleet.
鈥淲e have to have funding, and vehicles and employees to get to every place. We can't serve 100%,鈥� Habig said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 10 more vehicles on the road. That鈥檚 exciting.鈥�
