LTD receives fed grant to purchase 5 electric buses

Eugene, Ore.'s Lane Transit District (LTD) received a nearly $3.5 million federal grant to purchase five all-electric, zero emission buses.

The electric buses will replace five diesel buses, which have been in service since 1999 and have logged more than 500,000 miles each. The diesel buses consume a combined 39,114 gallons of diesel fuel each year.

The grant was awarded under the federal Low or No Emission Vehicle Deployment Program administered by the Federal Transit Administration. Funding for this grant program was authorized and increased by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act.

"These five new all electric buses are an important part of LTD's work to modernize its aging fleet and deliver better transit service,” said Lane Transit District GM A.J. Jackson. “The FAST Act's investment in public transportation will ensure LTD's ability to deliver high-quality, reliable transit service in efficient vehicles that eliminate diesel emissions."

Currently, 29 of LTD’s 109 bus fleet have reached the end of their useful life and are in need of replacement. LTD’s long range fleet plan depends on federal funding to replace aging vehicles and meet customer needs.

This fall, LTD will receive shipment of five electric buses funded under a previous federal grant. These buses will make LTD the first transit agency in the state of Oregon to operate fully-electric buses.