Spokane Gets 12 New Electric Buses

Adding to the tally of electric buses hitting the roads around the United States, the city of Spokane in the state of Washington just did its part (for now) by adding 12 new electric buses to its modest bus service.

The city of 220,000, located near the eastern border of Washington, ordered New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE buses, 10 of them being 60-foot buses and 2 of them being 40-foot buses.

Spokane Transit Authority provides about 10 million rides a year. Some of the fancy new electric buses will be used at the heart of that service, in a new 6-mile BRT (bus rapid transit) route that goes from downtown to Spokane Community College. In fact, the first bus to run that route will be one of the Xcelsior CHARGE buses.

This electric bus foray is part of Spokane Transit Authority’s current 10-year plan, STA Moving Forward, which includes an effort to green up the agency’s operations and begin the electrification process.

Regarding other details of the buses themselves, “The high-capacity 60-foot buses are configured with five doors, New Flyer’s SmartRider™ smart suspension system, and interior bike racks for ease of passenger exit and entry. To date, New Flyer remains the only manufacturer offering five-door configurations,” New Flyer writes.

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