RACINE, Wisc. — All nine electric buses have arrived in Racine on Tuesday and should be fully deployed and transporting riders this spring, Racine Mayor Cory Mason announced.
Officials say the RYDE Racine transit system is training their operators and technicians on the electric technology and testing the battery power of the new buses.
“I am proud of the fact that soon the City of Racine will have the largest electric bus fleet in Wisconsin,” said Mayor Cory Mason. “We are excited to have received the nine new electric buses and our transit employees are working diligently to prepare them for service. You may have already seen them driving around the City as we test their batteries. We’re benefiting the environment by moving away from polluting diesel, and we will be saving approximately $60,000 on fuel each year.”
The new electric buses were purchaed from Proterra. They can travel about 175 miles, which avoids the need for mid-route charging during the day, city officials say. Instead, the buses will charge at night.
According to a news release, it is estimated that the city of Racine will save 56,000 gallons of diesel fuel a year, which creates an annual financial savings of $60,000 for the city.
