King County Metro has received its first 40-foot battery-electric New Flyer bus. The agency has already taken possession of 60-foot articulated variants from the company. Metro says that the new 40-foot buses are capable of carrying 35 passengers and running 220 miles on a single charge.
King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski hailed the latest zero-emissions development and said he’s looking forward to further progress. “I’m excited to continue the implementation of our zero-emission bus plan. It’s taken a lot of thoughtful work from a lot of participants over several years and I am confident that it is the right way to go,” he said. “It sets us up well for significant federal dollars to help bring the vision to fruition. I also firmly believe that it will help us present an attractive plan to further fund Metro Connects to the voters in the near future. Voters want zero-emission buses and I believe [they] will be more inclined to fund a plan that is based upon this technology.”
In a video, Metro showed off the new bus and highlighted some changes that passengers may notice. “There’s a minor seating change at the rear that should decrease boarding and deboarding time, where we’ve shifted some of the seats so that they’re actually aisle-facing to allow some more standing room and easier boarding and deboarding for passengers as on and off the bus,” said Will Haber, a vehicle procurement administrator for Metro. Haber also said that the first bus will go through a thorough testing process and item checklist to make sure it’s sound for general use next year.
