Electric buses in operation: The Chattanooga experience

In the early 1990s the City of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) were looking for an innovative approach to the need for a downtown shuttle. As a result of finding a solution to this problem, the transit system has embarked on the most extensive electric transit vehicle program in the United States. The program now uses electric buses made with existing technology and actively participates in developing new electric vehicle technologies, testing vehicles and components, manufacturing electric transit vehicles, and formatting the Electric Transit Vehicle Institute. The history of the program, the policy and operational issues that were addressed by the CARTA governing board and management staff, and the areas of consideration for transit systems considering the use of electric transit vehicles are provided, as are the author`s thoughts concerning the future of electric transit vehicles. Emphasis is given to the policy and organizational concerns that face a transit system seeking to implement a new technology from the perspective of an agency whose focus is on the actual real-life operation of electric buses rather than short-term demonstration programs.