### City of Everett Bets Big on Green Buses

When it comes to goals, the city of Everett, Washington, 25 miles north of Seattle, has set an ambitious one. Its municipal transportation department started as a privately operated horse-drawn trolley more than 125 years ago. Today, Everett Transit is a major provider of public transportation services, with more than 40 fixed-route buses serving thousands of the city’s commuters every day.

In just the last few years, the city has added nine electric buses to its fleet, the first seven of which have logged more than 121,000 miles. Its long-term goal is to replace at least half its 40 buses with electric buses by the end of 2022. According to the department’s website, "this will reduce emissions, allowing us to be good stewards of our environment and help achieve our mission of supporting a livable community. We are charging toward a greener Everett!" Carbon emissions are expected to go down by about 900,000 pounds a year. Other expected benefits of the electric fleet include reduced engine noise in the city’s streets and major savings on fuel and maintenance.

The city was able to budget for the purchase of electric buses, which are more expensive than the diesel models they are replacing, by using a federal grant and a grant from Washington state’s Department of Ecology (the latter was part of a multimillion-dollar settlement with Volkswagen for its illegal use of software designed to cheat on vehicle emissions tests). These grants helped bridge any potential budget gap. Everett is also benefiting from the fact that the new buses are still under warranty, so repair costs have been minimal.

But there have been some surprises. First, the electric buses can travel only about 100 miles (an eight-hour shift for a driver) before they need to be recharged, despite the manufacturer’s expectation that they would go 200 miles between charges. Second, maintaining the buses has required extra money and time. For instance, to ensure technicians’ safety when working around high-voltage engines, special equipment had to be purchased and a system developed to ensure safety when working on the vehicles’ roofs. Bus drivers were also given two hours of training to learn how to operate the new buses, which are "substantially different than anything we have previously had in our fleet," according to the city’s transportation services director, Tom Hingson. "Supervisors have learned how to support operators when they are on the road and face any issues. Technicians are still working with the manufacturer as they learn to service the vehicles."

Routes were selected with care, too. The federal grant that helped pay for the electric buses requires that the first few be used in high-impact areas, and the state grant specifies that they serve environmentally sensitive areas such as the city’s waterfront. As Everett acquires more electric buses, however, they will be spread throughout the city’s routes. Meanwhile, the city looks forward to reducing air pollution from diesel exhaust and improving the health of its citizens.

**Questions:**

1. Why do you think Everett set such an ambitious goal for transforming its fleet?
2. Based on its achievements so far, do you think it is likely to meet that goal? Why or why not?
3. What additional training needs among its drivers and maintenance workers do you think the city will need to plan for as it adds electric buses in the next few years?
4. What role will its supervisors play?
5. What factors do you think the city’s budget planners will need to take into account as the number of electric buses increases?
6. What contingencies would you advise Everett’s transportation department to prepare for?