Racine Sun

Racine residents will soon be able to catch a ride on the city’s new electric buses.

According to Milwaukee’s FOX6, Racine Mayor Cory Mason on Feb. 8 announced the arrival of nine electric buses that should commence service this spring.

Mason said Racine will boast Wisconsin’s largest EB bus fleet.

“We are excited to have received the nine new electric buses, and our transit employees are working diligently to prepare them for service,” the mayor said, FOX6 reported. "You may have already seen them driving around the city as we test their batteries. We’re benefiting the environment by moving away from polluting diesel, and we will be saving approximately $60,000 on fuel each year."

In preparation of the new vehicles’ launch into service, the RYDE Racine system’s operators and technicians are undergoing training, the station additionally reported.

The city told FOX6 the purchase was made possible by more than $6.1 million from the Volkswagen Transit Capital Assistance Grant Program and a little over $3.1 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Authority's "Low-No Program."

Transit Manager Trevor Jung said a quarter of the city’s transit fleet will be electrified in a few months.

“This is a result of years of coordination by city staff and leadership of local elected officials committing to carbon neutrality,” Jung told the website WisPolitics.com. “While we celebrate this achievement, we gain renewed energy in the work toward improved sustainability, greater savings and reliable service.”

The buses, which were bought from Proterra, can log around 175 miles following a single charge.

According to WisPolitics.com, the buses will save Racine an estimated 56,000 gallons of diesel fuel a year, or $60,000.

Buses that are 16 years old with 500,000 miles to them will soon be phased out, the website added.

An official launch event to take place this spring is in the works.