The Windham Regional Transit District, which operates the University of Connecticut’s bus system, is set to receive two electric buses and nine hybrid buses from the State of Connecticut according to UConn Today. This comes amid an initiative from the state to pursue cleaner energy options to reduce carbon emissions.
This transition into cleaner energy options from UConn coincides with their goal to attain carbon neutrality by 2030 and to become net carbon zero by 2040. According to Stan Nolan, UConn’s interim associate vice president for facilities operations, “transportation is a critical piece in the puzzle at UConn as we work towards [those goals].”
“Transitioning our university vehicles to models that operate on more sustainable fuel sources will significantly enhance our progress, along with providing amenities like the charging stations to support and encourage others to adopt green-friendly transportation in our community,” Nolan said to UConn Today.
The two electric buses will begin running in the 2025 spring semester, while the nine hybrid buses are currently on order.
The electric buses don’t produce any tailpipe emissions and “provide all the features that today’s students need for a comfortable and productive ride,” according to UConn Today. These features include three-position bicycle racks, phone charging ports, comfortable silica cushion seats and on-board electronic information displays.
About three-quarters of UConn vehicles currently run on fossil fuels, though that number has been decreasing. According to UConn Today, UConn has been attempting to replace vehicles that run on gasoline or diesel with cleaner options once those vehicles reach the end of their serviceable lives. Many more of those vehicles will be taken off the road in coming years.
In addition to new buses, the State of Connecticut is in the process of installing multiple electric vehicle charging stations across the Storrs campus, UConn Health and other locations across the state, according to UConn Today.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont issued an executive order in 2021 that aimed to “reduce carbon emission” and “adapt to the climate crisis,” according to the State of Connecticut’s website. This has led to initiatives from the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection to diesel to zero-emission models.
These buses are a part of the state’s hope transition at least 30% of the medium and heavy-duty transit fleet statewide to electric by 2030, and 100% by 2035.
Other initiatives that the Connecticut Department of Transit has started besides the purchasing of electric and hybrid buses are installing a hydrogen fuel dispenser in Storrs next spring and replacing 24 aging utility fleet vehicles with hydrogen-fueled models.
Earlier this year UConn announced the 2024 Sustainability Action Plan, which aimed to go become net carbon zero by 2040. These buses were included in that action plan as UConn continues to reach this goal.
For more information on the 2024 Sustainability Action Plan, visit Stephanie Reitz’s statement in UConn Today from April 2024. For more information on UConn’s buses, visit UConn Transporation Services website or contact them at 860-456-2223.