Electric buses coming to area rural transit systems
Aug. 23—The Free Press
Four rural transit systems in south-central Minnesota will be receiving nearly $4 million worth of electric buses and related battery-charging infrastructure, mostly funded by a federal grant, the Minnesota Department of Transportation announced Tuesday.
The transit systems serving areas stretching from Fairmont to New Ulm to Owatonna to St. Peter and Le Sueur will see a combined six electric buses that are expected to be in service by September 2025.
The vehicles will replace buses that travel more than 173,300 miles annually, burning about 30,500 gallons of fuel.
Two buses apiece are slated for the New Ulm transit service provided by Heartland Express/Brown County Human Services and the St. Peter and Le Sueur service provided by Minnesota River Valley Transit.
One bus apiece is headed to Prairie Lakes Transit/Faribault-Martin County Transit Board (Fairmont service) and SMART/Cedar Valley Services Inc. (Owatonna service).
The bulk of the funds — $3.4 million — come from a grant financed by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provided $5.5 billion over five years for the "Low or No Emission Vehicle Program."
The grant funding, along with a $425,196 local match from MnDOT, also covers charging equipment, tools, related infrastructure, training and administrative support.
Agencies receiving a second bus are responsible for the $45,402 second local match.
