The purchase increases the WRTA’s electric fleet to six buses — 13% of its entire fleet. The buses are set to go into service this month, giving WRTA the largest fleet of electric buses in revenue service in North America.
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The WRTA made its initial purchase from Proterra in September 2012, using funds from a $4.4 million Federal Transit Authority Clean Fuels grant to replace three of its 12 old diesel buses. The three electric buses went into service in late summer.
“Repeat customers represent the ultimate customer service goal for our company,” said Garrett Mikita, Proterra’s president/CEO. “Our continuing partnership with WRTA emphasizes the long-term financial benefits of reducing an authority’s dependence on fossil fuels and the positive impact battery-electric buses can have on the environment.”
Proterra’s EcoRide BE35 battery-electric buses recharge in less than 10 minutes. The buses are made of lightweight composite materials and are powered with state-of-the-art battery technology. As a result, the buses have zero emissions, run virtually silent and are 500% more fuel efficient than diesel buses.
In this conversation, TBC’s Executive Director Ed Redfern, President Corey Aldridge, and Washington Representative Joel Rubin outline the coalition’s key policy priorities, the challenges facing transit agencies, and how industry stakeholders can work together to strengthen the voice of bus transit at the federal level.
What truly drives the cost of a paratransit fleet? Beyond the purchase price, seven operational factors quietly determine maintenance frequency, downtime, and long-term service reliability. This whitepaper explores how these factors shape lifecycle cost and what agencies should evaluate when selecting paratransit vehicles.
In this conversation, TBC’s Executive Director Ed Redfern, President Corey Aldridge, and Washington Representative Joel Rubin outline the coalition’s key policy priorities, the challenges facing transit agencies, and how industry stakeholders can work together to strengthen the voice of bus transit at the federal level.
Originally introduced in 2023 as the Bus Line Redesign, the effort has evolved into a more targeted update that maintains familiar routes while improving reliability, frequency, evening and weekend service, and connections across Allegheny County.
S3 will connect communities along SR 522 with fast, reliable, battery-electric bus service from Shoreline South Station to Bothell via Kenmore and Lake Forest Park.