City of Decatur receives federal funding for electric fleet efforts

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - The federal government has granted the City of Decatur $16.84 million for its public transit system modernization project. 

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced on Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Transportation's Low-No Emission and Bus Facilities Program was granting the City of Decatur money for electric fleet efforts. 

"The world of transportation is quickly changing and we are going to see historic changes when it comes to the cars that we drive, the buses we count on, the trucks on the highway and all different aspects of transportation," said Sen. Durbin. 

DPTS will use the funding to replace four diesel buses with hybrid buses, make electrical upgrades to convert a new facility to a bus barn, install solar panels, acquire 25 charging stations, set up a new bus wash bay, and train staff to operate and maintain the new vehicles. 

"The technology that is here today was built for diesel buses. There is greasy oil changing stations. There is an overhead exhaust system to take in diesel exhaust while buses are running in the garage. All of that will be phased out and you will have a cleaner garage," said Jon Kindseth, Decatur Deputy City Manager. 

DPTS operates 16 bus routes—with 23 diesel buses and 2 hybrid buses—and a downtown trolley route, which includes two hybrid trolleys.  Since the onset of the COVID pandemic in March 2020, DPTS has been providing free rides, as most of their riders are low-income or disabled individuals. The City of Decatur has pledged that by the year 2035 all of its buses will be at zero emissions. 

"We are doing the right thing for our environment and for this community," said Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe. 

DPTS said it has downsized buses. Historically, the department has had 35-foot buses, but now it's moved to 30-foot. Lacie Elzy, Transit Administrator, told WAND News the city is looking at micro-mobility solutions for the transit system. 

"I think in some form we will always have large fixed route buses, but they don't get people everywhere they need to go," said Elzy. "So when we are talking about micro-mobility solutions we are talking about 12-16 passenger vehicles, maybe even 8 passenger vehicles, that can get down into the neighborhoods increase ride frequency and get people to where they need to go faster." 

Decatur will be combining the $16.84 million DOT grant with a local match of $1.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and a state match of $3.76 million from Illinois’ Department of Transportation (IDOT) Rebuild Program to complete the project, bringing the total to about $22 million.

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