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(Des Moines, IA) -- Seven electric buses formerly used by the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (known as "DART"), as part of a pilot program, are sitting unused, now with an uncertain future.
According to Erin Hockman with DART, the buses were pulled off the road in 2022, after about two years of service, due to expiring warranties and extensive mechanical problems.
"In the time we had the buses in service, we encountered a number of issues with operating the vehicles," Hockman said. "We ran our electric buses as a pilot, and so we were measuring the performance of our zero emission vehicles compared to new forty-foot diesel buses," she said, "we know that our zero emission buses were out of service, needing significant maintenance a lot more than our regular forty-foot diesel buses." Hockman also says this lead to safety concerns.
DART tried working with the manufacturer, Proterra, to address the issues, but the company has since gone bankrupt. It the meantime, Hockman says they've reached out to the Federal Transit Administration, along with the company that purchased Proterra's bus line, Phoenix Motorcars, to determine if it is possible to obtain parts and repairs.
The seven buses, charging stations, and supporting infrastructure, were purchased by DART for $6.7 million dollars in 2020. According to Hockman, 75 percent of the cost was funded through a federal grant, with the rest being funded by DART, the City of Des Moines, and MidAmerican Energy.
The situation has lead to frustration on many levels, including with members of the Des Moines City Council. Ward 2 Councilwoman Linda Westergaard discussed the issue at a local neighborhood meeting earlier in July.
"They're sitting in a parking lot rotting out," Westergaard told attendees. "We just need to work to make it sustainable and work for our residents." The comments came as part of a larger discussion on DART funding by the city, in response to an estimated $4.7 million budget shortfall by fiscal year 2027.
"On average, we purchase anywhere from five to ten (diesel) buses each year, and we've never experienced a situation like this, where we have to park a bus because it just isn't operating up to the standard that we expect," Hockman said.
Des Moines isn't the only place experiencing a hold up with electric bus service. The Washington Post reports that Proterra's bankruptcy has left other cities in the lurch, including in Chicago, where a bus line was left waiting for 22 buses last year, at the time of Proterra's announced bankruptcy.