A new grant to the city of Davenport will allow it to add 4 new electric buses to it's CitiBus fleet.

The amount on that grant, by the way, is $4.8 million dollars from the FTA Bus and Low-and-No Emission Grant funds.

According to a press release from the city, the plan is to phase out the 20-year-old diesel buses that are costly and have higher emissions. No word yet on what the routes of the new buses will be but they're expected to get here in early 2024.

The Green Stats

The city says that a typical diesel bus produces nearly 230,000 lbs. of greenhouse gas per year. Once the electric buses are up and going, they will save the city 920,000 lbs of greenhouse gases being released every year.

The grant comes after a successful campaign from local stakeholders, Mid American Energy, and the Regional Development Authority. In the release, Marla Miller, Transit Operations Manager, said:

The commitment of funding came on the heels of an electric bus tour hosted by Davenport in February 2022 where feedback was nothing but positive – quieter, smoother ride; new and bright; feels amazing compared to the current fleet. We can’t wait for them to arrive! This is a win-win for the City, our passengers, community, and environment. Adding new buses to the fleet is huge, not to mention lowering the volume of energy (and costs) consumed while providing a valuable service to the community. Millions of Americans rely on American-made transit buses to get where they need to go every day. Public transportation helps the public travel to work, school, and everywhere in between. Staff consistently seeks funding opportunities to provide dependable public transportation to all.

No word on how big the buses will be or any other details.