Clemson Area Transit awarded $3.9 million grant for low-emission buses

Alexis Hamilton, Greenville News
·1 min read

The Clemson Area Transit (CAT) was awarded a $3.9 million grant to reduce its carbon footprint.

On Tuesday, The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration announced $1.66 billion in grants to transit agencies, territories, and states across the country to purchase 1,800 new buses.

Among the several cities listed on the FTA’s website, Clemson was the only city in South Carolina to receive a grant.

City of Clemson Budget & Grants Administrator Heather Lollis said the city was elated to receive funding for more electric buses.

A Clemson Area Transit bus, CATbus, rides along S.C. 93 through a mostly empty campus.
A Clemson Area Transit bus, CATbus, rides along S.C. 93 through a mostly empty campus.

“We're very pleased that we received the grant, especially proud of being the only city in South Carolina to receive it,” Lollis said.

“We appreciate the FTA allowing us to be awarded this grant and applying for it. Therefore, we can reduce our carbon footprints and remove these aging diesel buses that put out more pollution as they age.”

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With the funding, CAT will receive four or five electric buses, depending on the cost, to replace some of the older diesel buses.

CAT currently has 14 electric buses, four of which operate in Seneca, and 13 diesel buses. It currently has routes that service Clemson, Central, Pendleton, and Seneca. The buses also have connectivity with Greenville and Anderson.

Lollis said they are currently working on a request for a proposal and are hoping to award it to a bus manufacturer by the end of October.

Before the pandemic, the time of completion between having a pre-production meeting with the bus manufacturer and having the bus delivered was around 12 to 18 months. Lollis said that now with the supply chain issue, it could be anywhere between 18 to 24 months.

Alexis Hamilton is a Beaufort, SC native covering growth and development in Pickens County. Reach her at 727-514-5734 or ahamilton@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson Area Transit awarded $3.9 million grant for electric buses