As a small transit agency,…

As a small transit agency, with limited budget, the cost of converting our fleet to electric buses is quite substantial. On top of the actual cost of the vehicles themselves, we have the added expense of potentially being required to upgrade distribution or transmission system capacity. These costs significantly add up and we begin to run the risk of not having the funds to complete the job.

To alleviate the financial impacts of this conversion, the following suggestions should be considered under ER0-109-9284:

Connection costs
Local Distribution Company (LDC) Capacity: if the LDC states that there is a lack of capacity in a distribution system or the transmitter states there is a lack of capacity in the transmission system at the proposed location, consider having the transmitter or distributor complete the upgrades and fund them. This will help facilitate the move to EV buses.
Excessive Connection Costs (Transit Agencies): excessive connection costs for transit agencies on either distribution or transmission systems, could put the project at risk. Consideration for a transit agency to be exempt from the connection costs or that the distribute/transmitter covers the cost, would help facilitate the move to EV buses.

Process Change
Standard Connect Agreements
A Form of Connection Agreement for LDC to follow for connecting transit agency facilities would help to provide clarity. It would also work to keep the process consistent regardless of which LDC is being used.

Any of the above noted suggestions would be a benefit to transit agencies of any size to help them make the switch to EV.

Thank you