FORT WRIGHT, Ky. – Gov. Andy Beshear announced $11.3 million in awards to support seven transportation projects that improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion in Kentucky. The recipients, representing five counties, range from local government agencies to public transit operators.
Some of that money is being used in Kenton County to continue one transit authority’s goal of converting diesel buses to hybrid electric buses.
It takes a lot of fuel to make the wheels on the bus go round and round in Kenton County, and doing so can also create harmful emissions.
“Diesel buses are much cleaner now than they used to be. But when you take it to the next level and have a hybrid electric vehicle, the air quality benefits are much greater,” said Gina Douthat, General Manager of the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky.
TANK serves Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties and downtown Cincinnati. It provides public fixed-route and para-transit services as well as shuttles to and from local schools and Northern Kentucky University.
About 25% of TANK’s bus fleet are hybrid electric vehicles. TANK is receiving $2.8 million from the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality improvement program to replace four more diesel buses with hybrid electric buses. CMAQ is a federal reimbursement program administered through the Department of Rural and Municipal Aid of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Funding will cover most of the project costs.
Douthat said that’s a good thing for northern Kentucky.
“They’re very good in fuel efficiency, so we’re excited to be able to continue to add those vehicles to our fleet,” Douthat said. “They’re better for air quality. So anytime that we get this extra funding, it is something that we’re excited to do.”
The electric power on the buses kicks in while they’re driving. And while not every passenger is concerned about the environment, Douthat said they are all concerned about their bus being reliable and on time.
“We know that they perform well for us. Public transportation is still a critical part of the community. It’s still something that a lot of people depend on,” she said. “Air quality and filling up a bus and taking 40 cars off the road is certainly a benefit of public transit overall. Anything that we can do to improve upon that is something that we want to do.”
Douthat said public transit is rebounding after the pandemic. She said TANK saw growth every month last year, and this year looks even better so far.
She said TANK’s biggest challenge moving forward is recruiting a qualified workforce. Like many other industries, public transit is still facing hiring challenges.
Details on other projects receiving funding can be seen here.