The city of Tallahassee’s public transit system, StarMetro, has agreed to purchase 22 electric transit buses from Proterra, a California-based manufacturer of electric transit buses, to service Florida State University (FSU). The 22 Proterra Catalyst FC buses bring StarMetro’s electric fleet up to 27 buses.
The 35-foot Proterra Catalyst FC buses will serve FSU’s Seminole Express Bus Service. FSU estimates an average ridership of 847,000 each year. Operations are expected to begin in mid-2019 with an initial deployment of 15 buses. The remaining seven buses are expected to deploy in 2021.
With the purchase, FSU is decommissioning its entire fossil-fuel powered fleet and upgrading to 100% electric.
With 22 Catalyst buses, FSU estimates it can displace more than 2.8 million gallons of diesel over the vehicles’ 12-year lifespan and eliminate over 5 million pounds of carbon emissions annually. The university hopes the new electric buses will also provide fuel and maintenance cost savings of more than $10 million.
Proterra has also sold its Catalyst buses to the University of Montana, Duke University and Alabama A&M University.
Proterra CEO Ryan Popple said, “As university populations grow across the United States, more campus transportation operators are taking the long view and looking for sustainable ways to increase mobility while reducing costs and their carbon footprint.”
Source: Proterra