The city of Columbia, Missouri’s transit agency Go COMO, received four American-made battery-electric K7M buses from BYD North America.
BYD says its zero-emission 30-foot K7M battery-electric buses are perfect for helping maintain Columbia’s college town feel, shuttling students and workers to their destinations in quiet comfort.
“We are thrilled to partner with Go COMO,” said Patrick Duan, BYD North America vice president. “Our American-built buses are well-made, reliable and bring innovative technology to Main Street in communities around the nation like Columbia.”
With the launch of these buses, Columbia has become the first city in Missouri to put zero-emission transit vehicles into revenue service.
“We are excited to already have our four new buses in circulation at Columbia. We are dedicated in continuing to provide sustainable transportation options to residents and visitors of Columbia,” said Dale Lynn, city of Columbia, Missouri transportation superintendent.
Working at BYD’s factory in Lancaster, Calif., members of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers – SMART Union, Local 105 – constructed the K7M for the city of Columbia to include 22 seats, and a range of up to 150 miles. The bus has a charging time of 2.5 to three hours.
In August, BYD delivered three K7Ms to another Missouri customer, the Kansas City International Airport, bringing the airport’s total fleet of BYD’s American-made electric buses to seven. KCI was the first airport in the nation to deploy electric buses, using the K7Ms as parking lot shuttles to bring passengers to the airport’s terminals.
