Electric Bus Partnership
Target Audience: Orlando residents, Orlando Utilities Commission customers and LYNX riders.
Strategy Objective:Partnering with the City of Orlando and OUC from the start was instrumental in LYNX receiving the FTA funding needed to transition the city's bus fleet to electric bus within the coming years. The first investment to begin this initiative was made by LYNX through LYMMO expansion funding. Leveraging this investment of the first pilot bus, LYNX earlier this year received a Low-No Emissions grant for seven (7) buses and a Section 5339 grant for six (6) additional buses that covers the incremental cost of purchasing Battery Electric Buses (BEB) over equivalent diesel buses.
Situation Challenge: In 2018 the City of Orlando created a community action plan to transition the city's fleet vehicles to alternative fuels by 2030 and to increase the use of electric vehicles throughout the city by 2040. To achieve this vision, the City of Orlando, Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) and LYNX have partnered with the support of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to develop a program to begin transitioning the city's successful LYMMO bus rapid transit service to battery-electric buses during the next two years.
Results Impact: On Oct. 29, 2020, a wrapped bus highlighting the partnership was unveiled followed by the city's first electric bus making its debut in December. Seven additional buses are scheduled to enter service by the end of February 2021. By the end of 2021, the full LYMMO fleet of 16 buses is expected to be battery-electric.
Why Submit: This initiative has not only brought the city closer to its goal in providing a cleaner and greener environment for community members, but this collaboration has also strengthened the relationship with our partners and has set a positive tone for future strategic initiatives/partnerships that will continue to bring great improvement to Central Florida's transit system.