King County Metro’s green fleet grows with delivery of 40-foot battery-electric bus

King County Metro Transit has received its latest installment from its electric bus order after the agency welcomed the arrival of its new 60-foot battery-electric buses this past April. 

As the 60-foot bus, dubbed Big Brother, goes through final testing and prepares to go into service this fall, the 40-foot bus, named Little Brother, prepares to start testing.

These 40-foot New Flyer coaches can seat up to 36 people, including the driver, and have a range of approximately 220 miles on a single charge. After testing, this new coach will become part of a King County Metro fleet making the transition to zero-emission vehicles powered by renewable energy. Starting this fall through early 2022, 40 battery-electric coaches will go into service.

Last fall, King County Metro retired its last diesel-only coaches, joining only a handful of large transit agencies in the U.S. that have a fleet that does not include fully-diesel coaches. King County Metro says it has committed to purchasing only zero-emission buses beyond 2023 and building the charging infrastructure to support them. These steps will help the agency meet its zero-emission goal by 2035.

“Little Brother” is expected to join “Big Brother” in driving into a greener future this winter.