King County Metro to purchase 40 battery-electric buses

From left: Chris Stoddart, president of New Flyer of America, Inc., 
Rob Gannon, general manager of King County Metro.County,
County Executive Dow Constantine,
Councilmembers Jeanne Kohl-Wells and Rod Dembowski
Photo courtesy King County

King County Executive Dow Constantine announced this week that King County Metro has agreed to purchase 40 battery-electric buses from New Flyer, Inc., to be delivered in 2021 and plans to order 80 more in the coming year – a major milestone in the county’s efforts to improve air quality, reduce carbon and create a zero-emissions bus fleet by 2040.

The order is comprised of 40 60-foot-long articulated buses valued at $1.3 million each for a total of approximately $50 million. The remaining 80 battery-electric buses planned for purchase include 20 more articulated buses and 60 40-foot-long buses, valued at approximately $925,000 each. Total cost for the second order, arriving in fall 2022, is estimated to be around $80 million.

“Today, we’re celebrating major progress toward our goal of transforming Metro to a zero-emission bus fleet, which is better not only for the environment but also for our customers,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. 

“These new buses will be able to serve routes all over King County, and especially in the southern part of the county, an area disproportionately affected by pollution. Working with New Flyer, we’ve procured 40 new buses that can handle anything we throw at them – quietly, efficiently, and fueled by clean power.”