City transit eyes electric vans, hybrid buses

Huntsville is applying for three federal grants, also on tonight's council agenda, to move toward the electrification of its transit fleet and to rebuild its 22-year-old Church Street transit station.

Why it matters: Huntsville Transit is working to keep its fleet up to date as ridership rebounds past pre-pandemic levels.

By the numbers: The largest is an almost $6.1-million grant to help fund a $7.1-million purchase of six 40-foot hybrid diesel/electric buses.

• Another grant of $5.2 million would go toward a $6.5-million effort to rebuild the transit station at 500 Church St. NW to accommodate the larger buses and keep drivers from having to go off-site to refuel as they do today, among other upgrades.
• The third grant application, for $3.1 million, would go toward a $3.68-million plan to purchase eight fully electric vans for the city's paratransit service Access.

Context: The application for new vehicles says the 2015 and 2016 model, 30-foot diesel buses need replacing, as well as older 2008 29-foot Transmark buses that were held over to meet fleet expansion requirements.

• The application cites a study from Charlotte, North Carolina's transit system that compiled data from 67 non-hybrid and 28 hybrid diesel buses showing that non-hybrid buses got 3.8 miles per gallon compared to the hybrids' 5.48.
• Maintenance costs were cheaper, too, for hybrids, at $0.36 per mile compared to $0.60 per mile.

Zoom in: Access provides more than 8,000 monthly trips to individuals with disabilities and senior citizens over 65, with electric vans set to provide air and noise pollution reductions.

Catch up quick: Huntsville's transit system has rebounded to beyond pre-pandemic ridership levels, according to the grant applications, operating 16 buses on 12 fixed routes that serve more than 2,500 riders per day.

• If the grants are approved, they're set to be disbursed in October according to the application, with vehicles to be delivered January 2027.