Electric Buses To Be Added To UConn Shuttle Fleet

STORRS, CT — The state is about to provide two new battery powered electric buses for use at the University of Connecticut.

The buses will be supplied to the Windham Regional Transit District, which operates the UConn campus bus system. The electric buses "produce no tailpipe emissions and provide all the features that today’s students need for a comfortable and productive ride," officials said.

On-board amenities will include:

• Three-position bicycle racks
• Phone charging ports
• Silica cushion seats
• Electronic message boards

The new buses are part of a Connecticut Department of Transportation and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection plan to transition from diesel to zero-emissions models under an executive order issued by Gov. Ned Lamont in 2021.

The new 32-seat electric buses fit into UConn's clean-energy transportation initiative, which is part of a plan for a carbon-neutral campus by 2020.

The electric buses can run for about 150 to 180 miles per charge in winter and about 200 to 220 miles per charge in summer, officials said.