“These propane buses are just the beginning,” said Shawn Cowan, BCRTA spokesman. “We’re dedicated to reducing our environmental footprint while continuing to deliver reliable service. Cleaner-burning vehicles mean cleaner air for our riders and our community.”
The new buses are part of a broader initiative through the Federal Transit Administration’s Ohio Zero Emission Ready Ohio project, or OH-ZERO. This project awarded funding in 2023 to assist Ohio transit agencies in replacing aging fleets with low- and zero-emission vehicles.
Cowan said BCRTA’s expansion in transportation diversity will continue as additional grant opportunities come up.
“Keep an eye out for our new buses ― you can’t miss them," Cowan said. “They’re covered in bright flowers and represent the cleaner future we’re driving toward.”
Earlier this year, BCRTA announced it received a federal Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grant to equip one of its buses with several technologies, including adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning to help reduce rear-end crashes, lane-keeping assistance to prevent head-on collisions and data logging.
The bus is expected to be outfitted with the new technology sometime next month. Results will be evaluated to determine how the technology could reduce the severity and frequency of accidents within transit fleets, according to the BCRTA.
The BCRTA isn’t just investing in buses and bus technology. The county agency is expanding its Hamilton campus on Moser Court to accommodate the new fleet of propane buses.
Phase 1 includes making the Hamilton property solely dedicated to operations, training and maintenance departments. Phase 2, for which plans and a timeline haven’t been publicly announced, would include an expansion of the campus. Only about a third of the property is developed.
About the Author
