The Vineyard Transit Authority is adding four more electric buses to its fleet, thanks to federal funding.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey’s office recently celebrated three federal grants from the Federal Transit Administration’s Low- or No-Emissions Grant Program.
Funding will go to Cape Cod, Vineyard, and Boston transit authorities to acquire zero- and low-emission buses.
According to the Healy-Driscoll administration, $3.8 million was awarded to the Vineyard Transit Authority, which it will use to purchase four new all-electric buses — one 35-foot and three 30-foot buses — as well as for staff training.
“The VTA is thrilled to be awarded this funding, which will be used to advance our goal of having a first-of-its-kind, fully electric, renewably fueled transit fleet,” said Angie Gompert, Vineyard Transit Authority administrator.
She said that with the four additional buses, 87 percent of its fleet will be electric. It will also be able to invest in charging infrastructure.
The transportation sector, according to Healey, “is one of the largest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions.” She said electrifying buses is essential in order to meet “ambitious” targets for total greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts.
The grant itself allocates money on a “competitive basis,” where proposals submitted to the Federal Transit Administration are reviewed.
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll congratulated grant recipients, saying they are helping Massachusetts “lead by example in fighting for a greener future.”
Great news! Thank you!
The VTA and the Land Bank get my vote as the two most positively transformative agencies born on Martha’s Vineyard in the last 40 years. That the transit authority won big in this competitive grant process surprises me not at all. Congratulations.
Great!
Cost of rides are going to increase.
Let alone the labor of repairs.
What is the cost of maintenance for diesel versus electric?
Please quantify and source your claims.
Fuel costs?
Incredible waste of taxpayer’s money. Electric buses cost several times more than a traditional bus and they can’t make it through a full day so the VTA has to have more buses than needed. What’s the carbon footprint of that? It’ll make the do-gooders on the island feel better but don’t expect to see them actually riding the bus.
John– could you document any of that? particularly the part that a bus
can’t make it through a full day. I was under the impression they could.
Please enlighten me. With some actual facts, numbers. or statistics.
or just a simple statement from the managers at the VTA attesting to that claim.
Or anything from them stating that.
Maybe you could spend a few hours browsing through the
public records of all their meetings to find that. Surely, it has been discussed
by their board at some point.
Thanks.
I always like to learn the truth about some of the things I feel passionate
about . I am sure you would be delighted to educate me.
By the way, nearly 900,000 people rode the bus in fiscal year 2023.
While the VTA covered nearly a million miles of service.
https://www.vineyardtransit.com/sites/g/files/vyhlif5126/f/uploads/vta_annual_report_fy_2023.pdf
If I may paraphrase a rather famous quote that I think is incorrect;
“The riders have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with them . They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are
“do gooders” ”
If you look for them, you might see some. You can identify them because they are
sitting in a seat on the bus and wearing clothes.
Please quantify and source your claims.
Do they make do-badders feel bad?
Does it make you mad to see them, like windmills?
Angie Gompert took the VTA from a couple of trolleys in Edgartown to an island wide modern public transportation system. Think about that transformation over the last few decades. I remember when bus service was only between VH, OB, and Edgartown….and only in the summer months. Buses ran every half hour and stopped at 10:30 PM. I remember because I used to drive that night shuttle.
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