Stamford, Connecticut is getting a fleet of cleaner buses. The state is using a $26.4 million federal grant to buy 20 electric buses for the city.
Mayor Caroline Simmons said the new electric buses would go a long way to reducing pollution in her city because the transportation sector is responsible for 38% of greenhouse gas emissions in Connecticut.
“So electrifying buses in our municipal fleet would help reduce our overall greenhouse gas emissions and protect our environment for future generations,” she said.
It's also an environmental justice issue, said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who helped secure the funding.
“Let’s be very blunt. The people who are stuck behind those buses are more likely to be people of low income, in neighborhoods where buses are relied on as a primary means of transportation,” he said.
Some of the federal grant would be used to upgrade the CT Transit’s Stamford facilities to handle the charging and servicing of the electric buses.
Last month, the City of New Haven received $25 million from the federal government to purchase of 15 electric buses and transportation infrastructure.
These federal grants are awarded to and administered by the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
