Chapel Hill Transit Unveils Three Electric Buses, Renames Transit Facility

 

It’s electric! – Chapel Hill Transit’s new fleet that is. The transit service held an unveiling event Friday morning to debut three electric buses. Local and state leaders were in attendance as the community got to explore these new zero-emission vehicles.

Chapel Hill Transit employees, local government leaders and community members gathered at the Eubanks Park and Ride Friday morning to celebrate the new electric vehicles and even take them for a spin. The transit service started the electric vehicle project in 2018 after receiving a large federal grant.

The buses have been in test phases since the fall with current battery life lasting between 10 to 12 hours. The vehicles are planned to operate at full service later this spring.

Congressman David Price spoke to Chapelboro about the new electric vehicles hitting the roads.

“They’re going to be driving Chapel Hill streets all day with no emissions,” Price said. “That adds up after a while to a lot of improved air quality and improved health outcomes. Chapel Hill has led in this for a long time.”

Price chairs the U.S. House Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee which oversees funding for transit services like Chapel Hill’s. The Federal Transit Administration provided a $1.3 million grant for funding. The UNC Renewable Energy Special Projects Committee, a student group on campus, funded $400,000 toward the purchase as well.

“We’ve had a big push in Chapel Hill for bus service, for free bus service,” Price said. “We have the second largest bus ridership in the state. We’re certainly not the second largest town but we’ve had enthusiastic participation.”

The three electric buses are not the only new aspect of Chapel Hill Transit. Earlier in the week the Chapel Hill Town Council chose to name the transit facility in honor of former Chapel Hill Mayor Howard Lee and his wife Lillian. Outreach Manager Jeffrey Sullivan said the announcement was exciting.

“Howard Lee was instrumental in starting Chapel Hill Transit,” Sullivan said. “I think its incredible. He had a chance to see from where he started it to what its grown to. It’s great to see and happy to have his legacy a permanent part of our building.”

Chapel Hill Transit began under Lee’s leadership in 1974. Lee bought a used bus in Atlanta and drove it back to Chapel Hill as the first bus in the transit system.

Transit Director Brian Litchfield said he has a photo from that ribbon cutting hanging on his wall – joking that he hopes the transit director years from now will have a similar photo on their wall from the electric bus unveiling.

“Today, we’re celebrating buses that are not only zero-emission but are brand-new and very expensive,” Litchfield said. “I think this is something that Mayor Lee not only is proud that the transit system he created continues to succeed, but I think he’d be proud that we’re able to move into the zero-emission environment as well.”

Chapel Hill Transit hopes to eventually have its entire fleet be electric and zero-emission. Eight additional electric vehicles are expected to join the fleet through the next year.

 

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