By Adam Samrov, Bennington Banner
BENNINGTON — Bennington's Green Mountain Express will be receiving a pair of electric buses, thanks to federal funding awarded to the state of Vermont.
On Thursday, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and the Agency of Transportation announced the funding for the purchase of electric public transit vehicles through the Low or No Emission program.
The Federal Transit Administration will provide nearly $800,000 for four vehicles — two of which will be for Green Mountain Express. The other two will go to Rural Community Transportation in Lyndonville.
The money will cover the cost of 80 percent of the vehicles and the local company will be responsible for the remaining 20 percent of the cost.
The buses will be delivered to Bennington in fiscal year 2022, which could come anytime between July 2021 to July 2022, according to Brian Maroney Jr., the executive director of the Green Mountain Community Network, which operates the Green Mountain Express.
"We're always looking to reduce our carbon footprint," Maroney said. "We want to put the green in the Green Mountain Express."
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While the non-federal match funding for the grant award will not be required until fiscal year 2022, AOT will assess state budget impacts due to COVID-19 and will work closely with the two transit providers to assure that the shared match commitment of $153,591 will be available prior to the final grant acceptance.
"Going green isn't less expensive up front, but we can make a difference," Maroney said.
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"As we continue our work on COVID-19 response and recovery, we remain committed to supporting the transportation needs of our rural communities, especially for essential workers and services," Scott said in a press release on Thursday. "Growing the state's fleet of electric public transit vehicles is a vital strategy in meeting our energy goals and reducing vehicle emissions."
Maroney said that the company had been working with Vermont's department of transportation (VTrans) on the grant, finishing it around the end of January.
The two buses will be considered "cutaway" vehicles, which are smaller than standard city buses. According to Maroney, all 15 buses in the GMX fleet are cutaway vehicles.
"The only difference will be in the power plant," said Maroney, who has been the director for nearly a year. "Everything else is identical to the buses we already have."
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The Agency of Transportation worked with Green Mountain Power as well, ensuring that "new vehicles and charging infrastructure are carefully considered and designed to meet the initial and future needs of an electric fleet."
"We can achieve significant greenhouse gas reductions by replacing older diesel buses with electric models, and this latest investment will further contribute to these reductions," said Joe Flynn, Vermont's transportation secretary. "We're grateful for our local partners' collaboration in bringing this technology to their communities."
AOT also works with the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (VEIC) to create the vehicle and charging specifications and to develop the metrics that will be used to assess the performance and costs of these new vehicles.
On the local level, Maroney said that the new buses will need people to service them.
"We'll have to find folks that can service the electric buses," Maroney said.
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