Politics & Government

Milwaukee County Will Update Bus Fleet With Low-Emission Vehicles

Purchase of 136 buses ends 20-year argument about how to spend federal money.

Milwaukee County will replace one-third of its bus fleet by purchasing 136 low-emissions buses using federal grant money.

Most of the federal money - $36.6 million - has sat idle since 1991. County officials said in a news release that the first 55 buses have already been ordered and will be put into service over several months beginning in March.

"These new, low-emission vehicles will modernize our transit system and improve the environment," County Executive Chris Abele said in the news release. "I'm pleased that we're finally using the long-idle $36.6 million to benefit Milwaukee County transit riders and are ensuring that these federal funds are kept here for our residents. These investments reflect my strong commitment to transit as a way to connect workers to jobs, students to education and other residents to their destinations."

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The $36.6 million in federal funds was originally part of $289 million the federal government appropriated in 1991 for an area transit project. But it sat there ever since as local officials couldn't agree on how the money should be used. The city of Milwaukee chose to use its portion of the money on the downtown streetcar.

The new buses will emit 80 percent less particulate matter (PM), 95 percent less oxides of nitrogen (Nox) and 88 percent less non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) than the older buses they will replace, according to the news release. The vehicles being replaced are considered beyond their useful life because they are at least 12 years old or been driven more than 500,000 miles.

Find out what's happening in Oak Creekwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Milwaukee Business Journal reported that the county will contribute 15 percent to the price of the buses.


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