NORFOLK, Va. — Public transit leaders in Hampton Roads say the push toward cleaner transportation is underway, but switching to electric buses isn’t as simple as replacing diesel vehicles.
Hampton Roads Transit has been testing electric buses for several years as part of a broader effort to reduce emissions and modernize the region’s transit system. While the technology offers environmental benefits, officials say challenges with cost, reliability, and infrastructure remain part of the equation.
Early adoption brought lessons
Hampton Roads was among the first transit systems in Virginia to put electric buses into service. According to Sybil Papas, chief engineering and facilities officer for HRT, the agency launched its first electric buses in 2020 after receiving grant funding to purchase six vehicles.
“At the time, we were really on the cutting edge,” Pappas said. “When you’re on the cutting edge… You expect that you’re going to learn some things along the way, and we definitely did.”…