Two electric buses began their routes on the University of Connecticut’s Storrs campus this semester, marking an achievement in the university’s sustainability action plan.
The associate director of facilities operations, Andy Kelly, said that students might also see the new hybrid buses on routes this academic year, but remained uncertain of when they’d be running.
“It has to do with two things. One is the production line; they’re very backed up and so the order [for the hybrids] went in over a year ago,” Kelly said. “And then the second item is when one of the existing fleet reaches end of life.”
One vulnerable point in the current fleet was the Ice Bus which “looks like it will bite the bullet first,” according to Kelly. The Ice Bus, which gets its name from its decal featuring fans and players of UConn’s ice hockey team, has a high mileage that costs more money in maintenance. A hybrid replacing the diesel Ice Bus is expected in Storrs before the end of the academic year, according to Kelly.
UConn’s partnership with the Windham Region Transit District (WRTD) and the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) began in 2020, partly because oversight was needed to implement electric bus plans, according to UConn Today.
One reason behind going to hybrid buses before adding more e-buses was the cost and production time of going full electric, according to Kelly. Both battery electric buses were funded through grants made by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in 2018, which helped offset that high initial price tag, according to UConn Today.
“There was a drop-dead date that you can’t order anything without electric vehicles after [the end of 2023],” Kelly said. “So, given the timeframes and dollar amounts of the electric buses, right before that hit they ordered nine more hybrids.”
A grant made by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in late 2018 helped UConn offset the high initial price tag to purchase two electric buses and charging infrastructure, according to UConn Today.
They currently run each bus interchangeably, with the yellow line receiving many of the miles put on the new buses, according to Kelly. As the UConn representative for the WRTD Board of Directors, Kelly also shared data about these buses.
“They’ve covered just over 443 miles. On average, when they’re in service, the buses are running about 56 miles a day,” which accounts for both new buses, Kelly said. “On-time performance is close to 97%, which means they’re hitting their stop time within two minutes,” he added.
Although this data gives a glimpse at how the buses perform, Kelly said to “take it with a grain of salt” because of how little data was compiled; the buses have only run for about 48 service hours as of Tuesday, according to Kelly.
Original plans for the infrastructure included charging stations for the buses both on campus and at the WRTD, according to The Daily Campus. Kelly said the buses only debuted with one charging station at the WRTD.
“We don’t have chargers on campus right now; that’s part of why CTDOT wants us to use [the e-buses] very deliberately. We would like to have chargers on campus at some point,” Kelly said. Kelly added that the new buses were received over a year ago, but the debut was waiting for the charging stations, which were completed this summer.
While the debut of the electric buses has been promising according to Kelly, one current issue at the WRTD is the bus operator shortage. This led to the red and silver line being combined, according to UConn’s transportation website. As the UConn representative for the WRTD board, Kelly said that the current drivers enjoy the new buses and how quiet they are.
Students should prepare to see less fossil fuel fleet vehicles on campus, according to Kelly. Kelly said the next steps within the sustainability action plan for the fleet will expand beyond electrification and include hydrogen powered vehicles and fueling stations on campus.