TransIT Services of Frederick County is pleased to announce that they will hold an official ribbon cutting ceremony to launch five new fully electric refurbished buses today, May 5th. The buses were remanufactured by Complete Coach Works (CCW) from Riverside, CA, and were made possible thanks to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), Frederick County Government, and the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA).
Local officials and respective dignitaries will join TransIT the morning of Thursday, May 5th at 11 a.m. for a ribbon cutting ceremony at the TransIT building on Rocky Springs Road for remarks from Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner, among others.
The buses will be the first fully refurbished all electric buses to operate on the East Coast. Formerly running on a diesel engine, to reduce the output of wasted materials CCW remanufactures transit buses to like-new condition, replacing the diesel engine with a Zero-Emissions Propulsion System (ZEPS) with the ability to run up to 120 miles on a single charge. The ZEPS technology will benefit the Frederick community by reducing air pollution, providing a quieter ride while running on County roads and City streets, and saving the County money on fuel costs and maintenance. The electric buses are projected to save TransIT nearly $470,000 each on fuel and maintenance costs over the 12 year life of the vehicles.
TransIT hopes to add 4 more into the fleet over each of the next four fiscal years. Nancy Norris, Division Director states, “We will evaluate the electric bus performance and cost savings regularly. If they prove to be all we expect, we hope to order additional electric buses over each of the next four years if funding is available. “
The buses will officially launch into service during morning peak hour service on June 1. A rider celebration is scheduled for June 1 at the Transit Center from 2-4 with Key 103, free Rita’s Italian Ice, games and prizes. Connectors and Shuttles will be free June 1, 2, & 3 in celebration of this ground-breaking technology that will reduce air and noise pollution while saving money.
