The University held a celebration on Wednesday, Oct. 15, in honor of the University’s new fleet of electric buses that will be used in the University’s shuttle services, including the Homewood-Peabody-JHMI shuttle. The new buses are part of a wider plan to increase sustainability efforts across the University’s campuses.
Promotional material seen at the celebration claimed the new fleet will “reduce [the University’s] carbon footprint,” and “provide quieter, cleaner, and more efficient travel.”
COURTESY OF HENRY SERRINGER
The new buses’ make and model are officially named the New Flyer XE40 and were manufactured in St. Cloud, Minn., by New Flyer of America. The vehicles are 40 feet long and can reach a top speed of 65 miles per hour. Their maximum range is about 254 miles, and a single bus can last 16 to 18 hours, around one to two full shifts, before needing to be recharged. The model can seat 33 passengers with additional space for standees.
Additionally, use of the fleet is said to prevent 110 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. The University ordered five additional New Flyer XE40 models, hoping to expand into a full fleet of 10. Officials at the event stated that the new buses will enter service sometime in the coming weeks.
Senior economics major Raghav Agrawal estimated that he takes the University’s buses about twice a week, in addition to using Baltimore’s public transit system. In an interview with The News-Letter, Agrawal expressed his excitement about the new fleet.
“I think this bus is going to be a lot better than the originals, although I love the originals as well, and I especially love it when I get an actual bus and not the coach,” Agrawal shared.
Wednesday’s event featured complimentary desserts, drinks and the opportunity to take photos on one of the newly minted buses, and concluded with a celebratory bus ride around campus. The event also offered trivia on the specifications of the new model.
“I know electric vehicles are kind of misleading in terms of their carbon emissions, but I do think buses are the first thing that should be electrified because it’s so much more efficient for them to run,” Agrawal said.
After the bus ride, junior Jerry Chen, a mechanical engineering major, shared his thoughts on the trip.
“They’re very nice. They’re very, very quiet,” Chen said. “With electric cars and buses, you kind of think about how quiet they are, but in a bus that big, thinking about how you can hear everyone is really nice compared to a huge diesel engine in the back.”
Chen uses the buses weekly to travel to the JHU-MICA Film Center in Station North. When asked how the new models would improve his commute, Chen responded affirmatively, citing the extra space on the new vehicles.
“I think honestly, by a fair bit,” said Chen. “The seats alone being the way they are, you’re going to have more room to move about, more room to stand around, especially when the buses are so packed.”
