CATS to introduce electric buses into service 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Amie McNaylor
amcnaylor@brcats.com 

BATON ROUGE_ The Capital Area Transit System is pleased to announce the launch of its first three electric buses into revenue service.

“We are excited to bring this new component of new zero-emissions battery-electric buses to the communities we serve,” said CATS CEO Bill Deville. “This has been a goal of the agency for some time and we are happy to have them here. We have had many partners in this endeavor, chief among them Congressman Garret Graves,” Deville continued.

The buses were purchased with a Federal Transit Administration grant under the Low or No- Emission Program and were manufactured in Lancaster, California by BYD. They are 35-foot, all-electric buses. The top speed is 62 miles per hour and they charge in approximately two hours. The seating capacity on the buses is 32 and there is additional capacity for 28 standing passengers.

?CATS is also looking to bring in smaller 29-foot electric buses in the near future, with a smaller mix-sized size fleet being another goal for the agency.

The buses will be introduced on various routes in all service areas. They will settle into fixed-route service on Plank Road in morning and afternoon peak service hours.

The electric buses will be utilized exclusively on the upcoming Plank Road Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route upon its implementation.

CATS operates 25 fixed routes seven days a week and serves over 200,000 passengers each month.

More information can be found at www.brcats.com.