Racine mayor announces arrival of 9 new electric city buses

RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Racine Mayor Cory Mason announced Tuesday that the city's nine electric buses have all arrived and should be ready to transport riders this spring.

The RYDE Racine transit system is currently training their operators and technicians on the electric technology and testing the battery power of the new buses, according to a press release from the mayor's office. The new buses will replace buses that are 16 years old and have driven 500,000 miles.

It says the city received funding for six of the buses and charging infrastructure in November of 2018. The city was then awarded additional funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Authority Low or No Emission Vehicle Program to buy three additional buses. 

“I am proud of the fact that soon the city of Racine will have the largest electric bus fleet in Wisconsin,” said Mayor Cory Mason. “We are excited to have received the nine new electric buses and our transit employees are working diligently to prepare them for service. You may have already seen them driving around the city as we test their batteries. We’re benefiting the environment by moving away from polluting diesel, and we will be saving approximately $60,000 on fuel each year.”

Racine was the only city in Wisconsin to receive an allocation. 

The mayor's office says on a single charge, the buses can travel about 175 miles. 

It's estimated that the city will save 56,000 gallons of diesel fuel a year. 

The city will announce an official launch event in spring when the buses begin service.