Blacksburg Transit Launches Electric Buses on Earth Day

Blacksburg Transit will launch five battery electric buses in honor of Earth Day on Thursday April 22nd. The all electric buses, a first for the system, will replace five conventional diesel powered buses. BT is one of the first systems in the state to purchase them.

According to BT Director Tom Fox, “These buses are just the beginning of what will someday be a fully electric fleet of buses. Our goal is that in three to four years, half of the entire fleet will be electric and we will be 100% electric in about ten years depending on funding. This is a large step towards reducing our carbon footprint while also reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.”

On the first day of service, the buses will operate on the Corporate Research Center (CRC) and Progress St (PRO) routes. All buses servicing these two routes on Thursday will be electric.

BT was one of three transit agencies awarded funding for electric buses in 2019 from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and the Department of Environmental Quality. Additional financial support for the purchase of the vehicles received from the Town of Blacksburg and Virginia Tech further supports their ongoing climate protection initiatives.

Additional information regarding the electric buses can be found at www.ridebt.org.

Questions or comments, please contact Lincoln Sklar at lsklar@blacksburg.gov or (540) 443-1592.