Battle Creek Transit awarded $6.6 million grant for new buses
Elena Durnbaugh
Buses with charging ports, information displays and pedestrian warnings— Battle Creek Transit is getting an upgrade.
The Federal Transit Administration granted $5.3 million to Battle Creek Transit to replace the city's aging vehicles. Transit will also receive a $1.375 million state match.
"This is huge for us," Battle Creek Public Transit Director Mallory Avis said.
Most of the buses in Battle Creek's fleet are 12- to 18-years-old, according to Battle Creek Public Transit Director Mallory Avis, and have exceeded their recommended useful life, which is between 10 to 12 years. Many of the buses are second-hand from other transportation agencies.
The new buses will feature modern safety technology for drivers and riders, such as pedestrian warnings, lane departure warnings and backup sensors. The new buses will also have features such as charging ports, information displays and customized stop callouts.
New buses will allow the city to meet current diesel emission standards at both the national and state level, as well as improve reliability and reduce maintenance costs.
COVID-19 safety protocols have added strain on Battle Creek Transit's aging fleet as social distancing has required more buses to be on the road. That means transit has had to use buses that might be on their last leg or require more maintenance to keep running.
"It's put stress on our fleet and depleted our spares," Avis said.
Since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, Battle Creek Transit has demonstrated how important it is for residents, Avis said. Although some transportation systems across the state saw as much as a 70% to 80% drop in ridership, Battle Creek only dropped by about 50%. During the past few months, ridership has been steadily growing back to pre-COVID-19 levels.
"COVID really gave BC Transit an opportunity to show its value to the city," Avis said. "Battle Creek is an essential city. We have a lot of essential workers... and they rely on transit to help get them there."
The grant will allow the city to purchase 14 buses, which will replace 70% of its fleet. The plan is to buy 10 new fixed-route buses and four of the smaller tele-transit buses, according to Avis.
New buses won't roll out right away, though. Avis said the first bus will probably be purchased in about 18 months, and new buses being ordered on a regular basis after that. In about five years, Avis said Battle Creek Transit will have a whole new fleet.
"It won't transform overnight," she said.
In the meantime, passengers will be able to provide input about what features are important to them.
"Bringing our system inline with other comparable cities is going to be huge," Avis said.
Battle Creek Transit was one of five projects in Michigan to receive money from the federal Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program.
In Michigan, the Michigan Department of Transportation received a total of $20.7 million in grant money to purchase new transit vehicles for rural transit agencies across the state; rehabilitating and expanding bus facilities in Big Rapids, Gladwin County, Ogemaw County and Roscommon County; and constructing a new headquarters and transfer station for the Bay Area Transportation Authority, which provides transit services in Leelanau and Grand Traverse counties.
The Capital Area Transporation Authority also received $1.8 million to rehabilitate its bus terminal in downtown Lansing.
The Federal Transit Administration awarded $464 million in transit infrastructure grants as part of the buses and bus facilities program to 96 projects nationwide to improve the safety and reliability of America's bus systems and enhance mobility for transit riders.
Contact Elena Durnbaugh at (269) 243-5938 or edurnbaugh@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ElenaDurnbaugh.