MUSCATINE, Iowa — Muscatine City Council voted to apply for a federal grant that would help buy two electric buses.
If approved, the grant would also pay for a new building to house buses, charging stations and training staff on electric vehicle maintenance.
Brian Stineman, the city's public works director, said two buses would be needed because the charge wouldn't last for the entire route of 135 miles. But even with two buses, he expects lower costs for maintenance and fuel.
"It's something new we want to try. The federal government's really pushing this," Stineman said. "We get most of our funding for buses from the federal government, so they're driving this, and we're looking to see what it takes to get into it."
In March, people took nearly 10,000 trips on the city's buses and shuttles. Those vehicles drive an average of 20,000 miles a month. Replacing one bus with a pair of electric buses would save up to 3,000 gallons of gas each month, totaling 36,000 gallons a year.
"You have less fuel costs, lower emissions, you know, hopefully just better for everybody," Stineman said. "I think that's kind of the goal with EVs in general."
One resident looking forward to the upgrade is Denny Jens. He started driving for MuscaBus 10 years ago after he retired.
"That's kind of the thing that keeps me engaged with it," Jens said. "You get to know the people that use the bus and you feel like you're doing that something that makes a difference."
Jens said he's looking forward to a quieter ride. The bus he drove on Thursday, April 18 is four years old with 185,000 miles on the odometer.
"As you can tell with the motors and a lot of the rattles, it gets kind of hard to hear in here," Jens said while driving his route. "I'm thinking with the new technology, electric buses, they would be more updated with their noise control and such."
He said he also appreciates the environmental benefits of electric buses. Riding a bus rather than a car already cuts down on emissions.
When city council discussed the application, some council members raised concerns about the plan.
"Recycling of the batteries, as far as I know there is no way to do it, reliability, how long will it take to charge," Nadine Brockert, fourth ward council member, said. "This would work beautifully in downtown Sarasota, Florida. I don't think Muscatine, Iowa is the place for it."
The council approved the application, with the only nay vote coming from Brockert.
Stineman said the whole process will take several years. It will take about a year to process the grant; once buses are ordered, it will take time for them to be built. He expects buses to hit the streets in 2027 at the earliest.
"Hopefully by the time we get our buses, the industry will have caught up and those questions will be answered," Stineman said.
Even though these electric buses would be a few years away, some people in town are already on board with the plan.
"Those zero emissions lead to health benefits like improved air quality, that's fewer deaths, less asthma, better quality of life," one resident said during public comment.
Watch more news, weather and sports on News 8's YouTube channel