Orlando bus service Lynx is set to deploy the first zero-emission electric bus to the streets of downtown, part of a long-term project that will eventually see 14 electric buses added to Lynx’s fleet to lower emissions and (hopefully) slow the ever-accelerating climate crisis.
A partnership between Orlando city government, the Orlando Utilities Commission and Lynx, these battery-fueled electric buses will be partially funded by a “Low or No Emission Grant” grant of $1.9 million from the Federal Transit Administration.
Lynx was awarded the grant back in July, and these 14 buses will augment the 16 energy-conserving hybrid Lymmo buses Lynx already has in use.
You’ll be seeing these buses gradually appear on the Lymmo Grapefruit, Lime and North Quarter lines.
While this doesn’t fully address the crisis in public transit that has long plagued Central Florida, we’ll take the little wins where we can these days.
In related news, watch to see if anything comes of the recent “Bold” public transportation overhaul plan drafted by the Orlando Economic Partnership and its Alliance for Regional Transportation in September.
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This article appears in Oct 7-13, 2020.