Zero Emission Fleet Transition Plan –Greensboro, NC
The City of Greensboro’s transition to a cleaner transit fleet has been underway for more than ten years. In 2019, Greensboro Transit Agency (GTA) was identified as having the second largest fleet of electric buses on the east coast (behind Philadelphia). GTA’s current fleet of more than 50 fixed route buses, which serves 19 fixed routes and nearly 1,100 bus stops, includes 17 battery electric buses (BEBs), with grant funds announced in 2022 by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to grow this to 21 BEBs, replacing four more diesel buses. The City also plans to transition the Access GSO paratransit fleet of 60 paratransit vans to electric vehicles.
Planning Communities worked with GTA and agency partners to provide a roadmap for conversion of GTA fixed route and paratransit fleet vehicles to fully zero emission by 2035 in a manner that supports City sustainability goals, meets FTA requirements for zero emission fleet transition plans (ZEFTP), and ensures efficient continued implementation and development of zero-emission vehicle fleets by GTA. Key tasks for this project include development and assessment of multiple scenarios for fleet transition and charging infrastructure, a long-term fleet management plan, funding analysis for transition, policy and legislation impact analysis, evaluation of current and future facilities, analysis of utility stakeholder and energy impacts, workforce assessment, and equity and resilience analysis.
The analysis leveraged GTA’s existing equipment and experience as an early adopter of BEBs. The City was also undertaking a major Mobility Plan during development of the ZEFTP and coordination was undertaken to align plan goals and optimize fleet modeling and charging strategies to ensure that future energy needs and service needs are met. Opportunities for solar energy capture andbattery energy storage were also incorporated into charging infrastructure recommendations. The ZEFTP will ensure that GTA’s approach to fleet transition continues to provide broader benefits from zero emissions operations to all Greensboro communities, assures robust and resilient transit and paratransit services, and supports agency workforce development, as the fleet mix approaches the tipping point of majority-electric. The firm supported an FTA Low- and No- Emission grant during plan development and the final Zero Emission Fleet Transition Plan is designed to support future applications for federal funding for fleet transition.
