EVERETT — Only a few years after starting service, a number of Everett Transit’s fully electric buses are set to fall by the wayside due to reliability issues and a supplier that went bankrupt.
The city is working with state and federal agencies to receive a grant waiver, which would allow it to set to sell nine of its battery electric buses, manufactured by now-bankrupt bus company Proterra.
On Wednesday, the City Council voted to spend more than $2 million in Everett Transit funds on seven reconfigured diesel buses — older buses that have been retrofitted and upgraded — to prevent any gaps in service.
Everett purchased the electric Proterra buses in 2017 and 2019, City Council documents show. In total, the buses cost more than $9 million. Most of that money came from state and federal grants.
Almost immediately after the buses entered the transit agency’s fleet, reliability issues on the Proterra electric models emerged, said Everett Transit Director Mike Schmieder on Monday.
Critical sensors and components failed repeatedly on the buses, and parts necessary to make repairs were difficult to find. The trouble got worse after Proterra filed for bankruptcy in 2023 and its assets were sold off the following year.
“We’ve got two buses that haven’t run in over a year,” Schmieder said. “Since the beginning of this year, we’ve seen another two go down. It’s unlikely, I would say, that these will be back on the road.”
The remaining five Proterra buses are not likely to last until the end of 2025, Schmieder added.
The “high failure rate and lack of adequate support” for the buses, a City Council document read, led to the agency requesting a waiver from the state and federal grants it received to purchase the buses.
“State law allows disposal of assets if the assets are determined to be in a state of advanced deterioration,” Washington Department of Transportation spokesperson Colin Pippin-Timco said in an email. “With the reliability and technical support issues, as well as the lack of company-provided technical assistance and replacement parts, Everett Transit’s WSDOT grant-funded Proterra buses definitely met this bar.”
The transit agency still has 10 other fully electric buses, built by a different manufacturer, Gillig, which are meeting or exceeding expectations, Schmieder said. The agency also purchased 14 more fully electric buses from Gillig in 2024 as part of a broader effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to climate change. Those buses are expected to arrive later in 2025.
Fully electric buses have some limitations even when in good working order, Schmieder said. Cool weather in the winter can reduce their range because of the energy used to heat the vehicles. Charging the buses can also take significantly longer than filling a gas tank.
But the agency is investing in new inductive charging technology at Everett Community College and the Seaway Transit Center to increase the range of its electric fleet. Everett Transit’s electric buses also cost less per mile to operate, city data shows.
All of Everett Transit’s diesel and hybrid buses currently use R99 diesel, a form of renewable diesel made from vegetable oils and animal fats which has less of an impact on the environment. The transit agency is still committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, but the repurposing of older buses and the use of R99 diesel represented “a different shade of green,” Schmieder said.
“I know the focus is on zero emission, but if you can get almost all the way there at a fraction of the cost and not have to engage with all the headaches or have any limitations on the buses, I think that’s a really good place to be,” he said.
Once the 14 new fully electric buses arrive as part of Everett Transit’s fleet, more than half of the agency’s 41 buses will be fully electric. Schmieder hopes to eventually replace the agency’s existing diesel and hybrid vehicles with newer hybrid buses.
Even with buses using standard diesel, riding public transportation has a smaller carbon footprint than driving private automobiles, research has shown.
Clarification: This article has been updated to clarify the city is seeking a grant waiver from the state and federal government which would result in Everett Transit being able to sell the buses. There is not any current solicitation to sell the buses.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
Gallery
