Cambus is going electric.
The Federal Transportation Administration awarded the University of Iowa's free bus service $16.4 million in federal funding to purchase six new battery-electric buses which will help phase out old, diesel-powered vehicles.
The buses are expected to arrive in 2026.
"Electric vehicles are the way the transit industry has been moving and investing in," Cambus operations manager Mia Brunelli said in a release. "The technology has gotten to a place where it makes sense in our Cambus system, based on the routes we have, how long buses stay out on them, and how many miles we need our buses to travel."
The electric buses will help reduce greenhouse emissions on campus, Brunelli said.
The grant will also be used to update the Cambus' maintenance facilities and "expand bus service," according to the transportation administration website .
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Building for efficiency
The Cambus facility on Madison Street will receive significant upgrades in size and storage.
Construction on a 20,000-square-foot addition will begin in 2025, with plans to be completed around the time the new buses arrive.
The new build will provide additional maintenance bays and more training space.
The expansion will also increase efficiency by moving Cambus workers from the West Campus Transportation Center, near Kinnick Stadium, into a single facility in a central location near the heart of campus.
"The updated facility will create a lot of efficiencies in our scheduling, planning services, and our response time to service issues," Brunelli said.
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Cambus looks to the future
The $16 million has caused a stir within the Cambus organization, Brunelli said.
"We were very focused in putting this grant application together to set Cambus up for many more years," Brunelli said. "Cambus marked 50 years in 2022, and this facility modernization and expansion and the use of alternative fuels will ensure continued success."
The federal government awarded more than $1.4 billion in funding to 117 programs across 47 states as part of the Low or No Emissions Grant Program in early July. The UI was one of 63 programs to receive grant money.
The facility upgrades will also allow the university to adapt as the transportation industry quickly evolves, Brunelli said
“Other types of fuels, such as hydrogen fuel, might come along in the future and might be good for Cambus to use,” Brunelli says. “We need a facility that’s flexible enough to accommodate those types of buses, and this project will allow us to have that space.”.
The University of Iowa was the lone grant recipient in Iowa.
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Electric buses aren't new in Johnson County
Electric buses have rolled around Iowa City for more than two years.
Iowa City Transit debuted its electric buses in January 2022. The city also purchased four buses using $3.3 million in federal grant money from the Federal Transportation Administration and state money from the Iowa Department of Transportation.
The electric buses considerably cut down on noise pollution.
Iowa City Transit also received a $23 million grant last year to continue expanding its electric fleet. The organization plans to replace its 40-year-old facility in the near future as well.
Its current home was built on the site of an old garbage dump.
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Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Cambus adding electric buses, upgrading facility through $16.4M federal grant
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