Connect Transit Board to vote Tuesday on electric bus contract

Posted on September 23, 2019

By Howard Packowitz

BLOOMINGTON – Administrators for Bloomington-Normal’s public transit system want to move ahead with plans to order battery and electric-powered buses even though some critics want the transit system to hold off on the purchases.

In a report to the Connect Transit Board, which meets on Tuesday, administrators repeated that no local tax money will be spent on the new buses.

Critics, including Normal Town Council members Stan Nord and Karyn Smith, have pleaded with Connect Transit to delay the purchases until the Connect to the Future Working Group makes recommendations on the matter.

Trustees are being asked to authorize General Manager Isaac Thorne to award a five-year contract to electric bus maker Proterra.

Connect Transit staff said the California-based company is preferred for several reasons over three other companies who bid for the contract, including Proterra’s reputation as a leader in design and manufacture of zero-emission vehicles, plus its warranties, and strong references from other transit agencies.

Staffers said the federal and state dollars will pay for the electric-powered buses, which Thorne said back in June would cost up to $900,000 per vehicle. Diesel-fueled buses run about $500,000, but the cost for those vehicles would come from local funding.

The contract won’t be signed until there’s a federal Buy America audit and approval from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]

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