Funding from the Low or No Emission Vehicle federal program will help the city replace its buses with new electric and other zero- or low-emission vehicles.
According to an article by Daja Clayton for WAND, the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District will receive $6.6 million in federal funds to buy new zero- or low-emission buses for its public transit fleet.
“We have a unique approach here in Champaign-Urbana because we have solar cells that are providing the electricity for the creation of hydrogen to fuel the buses,” explained Senator Dick Durbin, who made the announcement in Urbana.
“The MTD grant is part of an almost $2-billion program announced by the U.S. Federal Transportation Agency to allow states and cities to buy American-made hybrid buses.” The Low/No program, as it’s known, has been criticized for setting aside funding specifically for low-emission vehicles such as clean diesel buses, rather than letting 100 percent of funds be used for electric and zero-emissions options.
FULL STORY: Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District to replace hybrid buses with zero and low-emission transit buses
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