Electric bus to be used in Macon for a week
Another electric bus is visiting Macon, but this time the vehicle will be in town for a week.
The electric bus, which arrived in the city Friday, will be driven on Macon Transit Authority routes next week. The buses could be used along the Second Street Corridor as part of the effort to better connect Macon-Bibb’s major employment and activity centers. County leaders will be on hand Monday for an up-close look of the bus provided by BYD, or Build Your Dreams, which has its North American headquarters in Los Angeles.
Having the bus for a week will provide MTA a good opportunity to see how it operates, said Toni Elliott, executive assistant for the transit authority.
Earlier this year, two vendors brought their electric buses to Macon for one day demonstrations.
“We’ll be able put the buses on some of our routes to see how long the electric batteries last and also give our drivers some time to get used to what an electric bus will be like if we end up purchasing (them),” Elliott said.
Mayor Robert Reichert is a proponent of the buses as part of his vision for the Second Street Corridor.
After a proposed trolly system became too costly at $100 million, Reichert has been in favor of buying five electric buses and a charging station for $8 million.
“Our goal for the Second Street Corridor is to have a transit alternative that would take people back and forth along it, providing a connection between the different areas of the city that doesn’t involve getting in your car and driving,” Macon-Bibb spokesman Chris Floore said in an email.
The county has applied for a $14 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant that could be used to pay for the buses.
“Should the TIGER grant not be awarded, we would be exploring other options, but we remain committed to identifying and supporting other forms of transit,” Floore said.
MTA General Manager Rick Jones has said buying an electric bus would be more environmentally friendly than the low emission buses the city has bought since 2007.
To contact writer Stanley Dunlap, call 744-4623 or find him on Twitter@stan_telegraph.
This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Electric bus to be used in Macon for a week ."