Metro announced it will begin rolling out electric buses in Cincinnati on Earth Day, a move aimed at reducing emissions and modernizing public transit.
Two fully electric buses hit Cincinnati streets Wednesday with four more expected later this summer and a total of 13 planned in the near term, according to Metro Board Chair Blake Ethridge.
The transition is part of a broader effort to cut transportation-related emissions and align with local climate goals, including the Cincinnati Green Plan, which aims to reduce carbon emissions 50% by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
“Metro’s plan is focused on building a system that not only meets today’s needs, but also prepares us for the future,” Ethridge said during a press conference at the Northside Transit Center located at 4021 Spring Grove Avenue.
The zero-emission buses are more than $1.2 million each. They are financed 80% with federal funds and 20% from local funding, said Cincinnati Metro’s Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Brandy Jones.
“By reducing emissions, they help improve air quality in the neighborhoods where people live, work and travel every day,” said Commissioner Stephanie Summerow Dumas.
Metro CEO Andy Aiello said the agency began preparing for the shift in 2023 by introducing 17 hybrid buses, which have logged more than 150,000 miles.
“That gave us a chance to test the technology and prepare for full electrification,” Aiello said.
The new buses are expected to eliminate nearly 20,000 tons of carbon emissions over their lifetime while lowering maintenance costs because they have fewer moving parts and do not require oil changes, according to Aiello.
Regional leaders also highlighted the financial investment behind the transition. Mark Policinski, CEO of the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments, said the agency has contributed $6 million to the project and plans to invest $22 million more in Metro’s hybrid fleet over the next three years.
Transportation accounts for about 30% of Cincinnati’s emissions, said Ollie Kroner, director of the city’s Office of Environment and Sustainability, making fleet electrification a key component of the city’s climate strategy.
“We don’t have a pathway to carbon neutrality without major changes in transportation,” Kroner said.