By Clarise Larson
The City and Borough of Juneau’s municipal bus service, Capital Transit, announced last week that it is set to be awarded close to $2.3 million from a federal grant which will go toward infrastructure replacement to aid the city’s long-term goal of electrifying its transit system moving forward.
Trouble in Electric Paradise
Currently, Capital Transit only owns one electric bus — which has been in service since April 2021 and is the state’s first municipally operated electric bus — out of its 18 bus fleet.
The 40-foot Proterra bus has experienced mechanical problems since its launch and was not holding battery charges long enough to complete an entire route during this winter’s cold weather, but Koch said the city is looking at different electric bus manufacturers for the new buses.
The addition of seven new electric buses would replace the older diesel-powered buses, which Koester said has been a community goal in Juneau.
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Clarise Larson is a reporter with the Juneau Empire.
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