June 09, 2019
SEPTA/Facebook
Earlier this week, SEPTA rolled out 25 electric buses for two routes in South Philly.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has added 25 new electric buses to two routes in South Philadelphia.
What was once two trackless trolley routes will now become a bit more environmentally friendly. The 29 and 79 routes in South Philly now have 25 new electronic buses for daily use. These e-buses will be able to run a full day of service on a seven-hour charge.
The 40-foot Proterra Catalyst electric buses cost $24 million and were in paid in part with a $2.5 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration's Low or No Emission Program.
These 25 new buses came as part of SEPTA's "SEP-tainable" sustainability plan for 2020. The company debuted the first electric bus in July 2017 before piloting the e-buses in South Philly that December.
With 25 electric buses and 38 trackless trolleys, SEPTA now claims to have the largest zero-emission bus fleet in the Northeast. It currently beats out New York City, which as of April only has 10 electronic buses in use. NYC plans to add 65 more electric buses by the end of the year, however.
An additional 10 e-buses are coming to the city in 2020, for use in 2021. SEPTA plans to roll out over 1,000 hybrid diesel and electric buses by next year, which will make up 95 percent of its bus fleet.
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