Columbia, Missouri, opts of electric buses

Columbia, Missouri – COMO Connect in the City of Columbia, Missouri, has made a historic decision that secures it a spot among America's most elite transit providers. Beginning September 1, 2015, COMO Connect will take delivery of their first of four battery electric transit buses from the global electric vehicle producer BYD Coach & Bus.

"This is a historic moment for both the city of Columbia and the state of Missouri," says Mike Matthes, city manager of Columbia. "This decision by the City of Columbia and COMO Connect is yet another example of the forward-thinking attitude towards technology and transportation that contributes to making Columbia great. I could not be more proud."

The first bus will be a full-size 40ft transit bus used to experiment on a number of different routes around the city, namely the #1 Black Core Connector, one of the city's longest and most popular bus routes. The next three buses that will be delivered to start service December 1, 2015, will be BYD's 30ft Electric low floor transit bus that will be used for commuter shuttles, used on COMO Connect, that operate through Columbia's smaller neighborhood routes, including the downtown orbiter.

"Our decision to go electric extends far beyond cleaner air and doing the right thing," says Drew Brooks, multi-modal manager of the City of Columbia. "These buses are incredibly quiet, and will drastically reduce noise pollution along the routes. Additionally, they will save Columbia hundreds of thousands of dollars in fuel and maintenance costs and enable us to begin other improvements to our system even sooner."

The buses will be built by California's BYD Coach & Bus.

BYD Vice President Macy Neshati says, "Cities like Columbia, with such a picturesque downtown and an involved community really appreciate the value of a well organized transit system. I am excited to see them join the leading edge of transit technology by purchasing these buses that will make their system cleaner and quieter for everybody."

Source: COMO Connect