Open Source: When will Richland County Transit vehicles 'go green?'

MANSFIELD -- The Richland County Transit board is moving toward an environmentally-friendlier fleet.

But the timeline for the transition is uncertain, according to Jean Taddie, transit development manager for the Richland County Regional Planning Commission -- and it will require federal funding assistance.

RCT currently has seven diesel buses and 11 gasoline "cutaways" on a Ford chassis.

"The larger diesels are used for the routes in most demand, Park Avenue, Fourth Street and Lexington Avenue, for example," Taddie said. "The smaller cutaways service smaller routes and Dial-A-Ride customers."

RCT has agreed to participate in the "Sustainable Transit for a Healthy Planet Challenge," the goal of which is to create a climate-friendly vehicle transition plan -- and provide federal funds to do it.

On April 22, 2021, President Biden announced a goal for the United States to achieve a 50-52 percent reduction from 2005 levels in economy-wide net greenhouse gas pollution in 2030.

On June 15, 2021, the FTA launched the challenge, which calls on transit agencies to develop climate, sustainability, or electrification or zero-emission transition plans that include strategies with measurable goals to achieve GHG emission targets.

During the first phase of the challenge – which took place June 2021 to April 2022 – 171 transit agencies across the country signed on to participate.

During Phase 2, the Federal Transit Administration seeks to increase transit agency participation by 25 percent to ensure the industry continues to make progress in curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

All transit agencies nationwide, regardless of size or service area, are encouraged to participate in the challenge. Throughout 2022 and early 2023, FTA will continue to provide technical assistance to participants as they develop their plans and strategies.

The FTA will launch a competitive-grant grant program for agencies to seek funds for low- or no-emission buses using money from the 2021 infrastructure bill.

According to the FTA, the transition plan must, at a minimum:

-- Demonstrate a long-term fleet management plan with a strategy for how the applicant intends to use the current request for resources and future acquisitions.

-- Address the availability of current and future resources to meet costs for the transition and implementation.

-- Consider policy and legislation impacting relevant technologies.

-- Include an evaluation of existing and future facilities and their relationship to the technology transition.

-- Describe the partnership of the applicant with the utility or alternative fuel provider.

-- Examine the impact of the transition on the applicant's current workforce by identifying skill gaps, training needs, and retraining needs of the existing workers of the applicant to operate and maintain zero-emission vehicles and related infrastructure and avoid displacement of the existing workforce.

The deadline for transit agencies to submit a plan is March 1, according to the FTA website. Agencies must plan to contribute 10 to 15 percent of total costs through local matching funds.