Greater Cincinnati's transit agency unveiled the first of its all-electric buses Wednesday in Northside.
Metro will run two of the buses for now, with more coming later.
CEO Andy Aiello told attendees at an unveiling for the buses they'll make a big impact.
"Over the life of these buses, they will eliminate nearly 20,000 tons of carbon emissions into our environment," he said. "They will also have fewer moving parts, which means less maintenance, no oil changes and much less waste over time."
City of Cincinnati Office of Environment and Sustainability Director Ollie Kroner said the buses are one part of a larger effort to make the city more sustainable.
"These buses produce zero tailpipe emissions," he said. "And when paired with local clean energy development like the Center Hill Solar Array the city announced last week, paired with zoning changes that encourage housing and business development along major transportation corridor, paired with complete streets to make sure the roads have room for bikes and people and trees, this creates a powerful combination positioning our region for growth and climate resilience."
The buses are a next step in Metro's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and become more sustainable in general, Aiello said. The transit agency introduced 17 hybrid diesel electric buses in 2023. Those vehicles have now done more than 150,000 miles of local transit routes, Metro says.
Metro used federal funding to purchase the buses. It will introduce four more later this year, Aiello says, and another seven after that.
"We knew from the beginning that rushing into this technology without being thoughtful could create reliability and service challenges not just for Metro but for our customers," Aiello said. "Some transit agencies moved quickly, and they've had challenges with that quick movement. We've focused on doing this in a way that is reliable, sustainable and built to last."
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