RVT was joined by the Connecticut Department of Transportation, and state and local officials on Tuesday to celebrate the addition of two new battery electric buses to the RVT fleet.
Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim commended the reduction in emissions and noise generated by the new vehicles. He noted that the largest environmental impact of buses is the ability to reduce cars on the road, which has been made more possible by recent RVT service expansions.
Connecticut Transportation Deputy Commissioner Karen Kitsis noted that this vehicle purchase amounts to 50 battery electric buses statewide, marking significant progress towards Connecticut’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The buses are 35 feet long and and have 440 kWh of battery power. They offer a quieter ride for both customers and the neighborhoods they operate in, They feature passenger selected seating, in seat USB chargers and real-time location tracking.
The buses will begin operating in January out of the Middletown facility. They will initially operate on the 581 route on Saybrook Road and 585 route serving the West Lake neighborhood.