LOCAL

Electric buses soon to be humming around Greenville. 5 things you need to know

Anna B. Mitchell
The Greenville News

Four electric buses are set to start humming along Greenville's streets in the next few weeks, and the GreenLink bus system that bought the 40-foot machines unveiled them in a big way on April 5.

Former U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy was among local, state and federal dignitaries, including Lt. Gov. Pam Evette, who gathered at the bus transfer station on McBee Street in downtown Greenville with about 200 other supporters to declare their support for public transportation as an engine of economic development.

The buses will likely start regular routes in May. First, their chargers must be installed at the system's Augusta Street maintenance facility, system spokeswoman Nicole McAden said, and then GreenLink's drivers need 30 days of training. One of the buses will be on display Saturday at an iMAGINE Upstate Festival exhibit from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Greenville attorney George Campbell, chairman of the Greenville Transit Authority (GTA) Board of Directors, described GreenLink's work as providing "workforce logistics." The GTA is the city-county governing body that oversees GreenLink.

"Imagine a future where everyone in Greenville County travels to work in less than 30 minutes on a system that runs entirely on electricity and emits no toxic gas or smog. It's powered by machines made right here in Greenville such that mothers and fathers can say, 'Look, my team made that incredible machine happen. We built that technology,'" Campbell said. "That is our vision at GTA and at GreenLink." 

The electric buses were built by Proterra, an all-electric bus company with manufacturing plants in Greenville and California. The company has grown rapidly in recent years, with an order for 20 buses announced just this week from the University of Georgia in Athens.

Still, GreenLink faces challenges, with ridership down and routes limited.

Passenger fares brought in $953,000 last year compared to $984,000 the year before. And through the first half of this fiscal year (which runs from July to June), fares have totaled $510,000 compared to the $564,000 during the same period last year, according to a January financial statement from GreenLink.

The system announced an ambitious expansion plan last fall to expand service in an effort to boost ridership. This spring, GreenLink is actively seeking additional county funding to support that plan as the local government draws up its spending plan plan for the next two years. The city of Greenville, meanwhile, has already committed additional funds, Mayor Knox White said.

In the short-term, the system would like to extend operating hours to 11:30 p.m., McAden said. Farther out, the system also wants to increase its stops from once-an-hour to twice-an-hour — which would require doubling its fleet, McAden said.

Partnerships like the one with Proterra can, meanwhile, make a difference boosting the system's image. Revenue for advertisements on the buses last year, $152,000, was a 10 percent increase from the year before, according to the financial statement.

Realistically, McAden said, daytime buses are in less demand when the workforce is at full employment and people can afford cars. Workers more at the margins of the labor force, meanwhile, seek rides from friends or Uber for second- or third-shift jobs, which start and stop when buses are not running. Most routes stop at 7:30 p.m.

Henry Davis Jr., who was at the station to catch a bus to Walmart on U.S. 25., said transportation problems are keeping him homeless. He said he likes the city buses and just wants more of them. 

"I wish they'd go 24 hours a day," Davis said.

Henry Davis Jr. of Greenville waits Friday, April 5, 2019, at the GreenLink transit station downtown for a bus to take him to Walmart. Davis, who works at a couple downtown restaurants and is currently homeless, said he could find affordable housing outside the city center if buses ran later into the night.

Davis was among a handful of bus passengers curious about the dignitaries at the transfer station. He sleeps under a bridge, he said, because he hasn't found an affordable place to live close to where he works. Buses, he said, stop before his shifts end.

"Rent in the city is $1,200," said Davis, who works as a dishwasher downtown. "Me working second shift, I may not be done until 12:30."

What you need to know

Against that background, here are the five things you need to know about GreenLink's new electric buses:

1. New buses

The four 40-seat electric buses will allow GreenLink to pull several 2002 models out of its fleet.

"Those are very old and they break down a lot," McAden said. "They only have a useful life of 12 years, should have gotten rid of them in 2014."

The upshot? These new buses will be more reliable.

2. Clean technology

The electric buses will emit no fumes, which means cleaner air in and around Greenville.

"These buses are replacing four diesel models," McAden said. "The air quality improvement will be significant."

Beyond local smog concerns, a study from the Union of Concerned Scientists found that the greenhouse emissions from power plants that generate the electricity these buses charge their battery cells with are much cleaner nationwide than diesel-burning bus engines — depending on where you live, 1.4 to 7.7 times better.

The 40-foot Proterra Catalyst E2 buses that GreenLink is adding to its fleet will run all day with a single charge, McAden said. Proterra lists their range as 251 to 426 miles, depending on how hilly the terrain is.

3. Cheaper to run

Electric buses have 30 percent fewer parts, which means less stuff that breaks, McAden said. This has the potential, she said, of much lower maintenance costs long-term. Diesel fuel is also more expensive than the electricity it takes to charge up the bus's battery cells, she said.

"We aren't having to fuel up and spend money on parts," she said.

The Greenville News reported last year that electric buses cost more up front — about $700,000 (not including charging infrastructure), compared with about $450,000 for a typical diesel or natural gas bus.

But, according to Proterra, agencies win in the long run because the lifetime operation and maintenance of electric buses is more than $400,000 less.

4. Economic development

The Proterra buses that GreenLink has purchased were made in Greenville, and that has a direct economic impact on the local families this company supports.

Among Proterra's roughly 250 employees in Greenville, 40 are Clemson University graduates, Campbell said.

Keeping the "green" in Greenville with clean-air technology is also good for the community's image, McAden said.

5. Birds chirping

Electric buses are much more quiet than their diesel counterparts. This will be much friendlier to the residential areas these buses cruise through.