MTA debuts electric bus service
Mendocino Transit Authority began its transition last week to electricity-powered public bus service in Mendocino County with two electric buses serving the Willits community.
The two 18-passenger “cutaway” buses provide local service on an hourly circuit called Route 1 that connects downtown Willits with local shopping and medical centers, the Harrah Senior Center, Howard Hospital and Sherwood Rancheria. The buses begin service at 7:12 a.m. and finish at 5:18 p.m., then charge overnight at new stations installed at the Willits bus yard.
“To say the least, we’re excited,” said MTA Executive Director Jacob King. “Together, those two electric buses travel 127 miles each weekday through the heart of Willits with zero tailpipe emissions.”
The two Willits buses are the first of six all-electric buses that MTA will bring to Mendocino County’s public transit service in Willits, Fort Bragg and Ukiah over the next several years. By this time next year, King expects there will be three more electric buses, all slated for Route 5 service on
Fort Bragg’s city circuit route. In 2024, an all-electric coach bus will serve Ukiah, and MTA is applying for funding to buy more.
The other environmental benefit is that “electric buses are quiet as a butterfly,” King said. “The only thing you may hear is the crunching of gravel under the tires. We expect it will be a pleasant and healthy experience for our passengers.”
The approximately $562,000 cost of the two electric buses primarily was covered by a portion of the $423 million Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust for California, established to offset excess pollution caused by VW’s illegal emissions testing defeat devices on diesel vehicles before they were discovered in 2014. The state of California chipped in the remainder of the cost. Funding is already secured for the additional four new electric buses coming to Mendocino County.
When it was established in 1976, MTA’s mission statement included a move toward carbonneutral public transportation. It tried propane-powered buses in the past in an effort to reduce emissions and then embraced solar power and electric buses.
King credited Bob Butler, MTA’s director of maintenance, for the smooth transition. “Bob is absolutely instrumental in our electric bus program,” he said. “We’ve been planning and transitioning to renewable energy and clean electric buses for more than 10 years, starting with our solar electric generation system at Ukiah headquarters and now bus charging stations at our bus yards, so we are ready.”
As with all new MTA buses, Butler was at the factory watching closely as the new electric buses were built, and his maintenance staff installed the electric bus charging stations. Drivers are trained extensively on the new buses.
King said he’s continuing MTA’s legacy focus upon clean public transit and noted there’s more support from policymakers all the way up the local, state and federal government ladder.
“The funds are there for this transition,” he said.
Mendocino Transit Authority provides safe, courteous, reliable, affordable, and carbon-neutral public transportation throughout Mendocino County. Visit mendocinotransit.org for routes, schedules and fare information.