The Minnesota Valley Transit Authority's fleet of gas-powered minibuses is aging, and it's getting tough to find replacement vehicles.

But the bus of the future already is rolling through the south metro.

For the past two weeks, the agency has been the first in the country to demo the Turkish-built, electric-powered e-Jest bus to shuttle passengers. The agency is using the 19-foot bus, which has seating for 10 and spaces for a wheelchair and standing passengers, for its on-demand ride service, Connect. It

"I'd never driven an electric vehicle before, but I'm impressed at how well it handles," said Jamie Carpenter, who trains MVTA drivers. "It made it through the snow and it's more comfortable than the average vehicle in a Minnesota winter. It was fantastic for its purpose."

Propelled by motors and batteries made by BMW, the bus can travel up to 130 miles on a single charge. That provides plenty of distance, as Connect offers short trips to destinations that might not be served by mainline bus routes.

The front-wheel drive bus goes out for four hours in the mornings, then parks at the Eagan bus garage where it charges for four hours before returning to the streets in the afternoon, said Dan Rudiger, MVTA's Director of Transportation.

Rudiger largely was responsible for bringing the e-Jest bus to Minnesota. He saw the vehicle at a zero-emissions conference and reported back to his boss, Luther Wynder, executive director at MVTA. . Wynder's response was, "We got to try this," Rudiger said.

MVTA has 19 small buses that look like the vans used for Metro Mobility, the Metropolitan Council's service for people with disabilities who can't take regular transit. Five of those vans already are past their life expectancy, and supply chain issues have made it hard to find replacements, Rudiger said.

The agency, which serves eight cities south of the Minnesota River, has a sustainability goal to provide cleaner transit options. The electric bus fits the bill, Rudiger said.

Next week, the bus will be in Washington, D.C., at a conference for the American Public Transportation Association. Then MVTA will get it back for another three weeks.

After the demo, MVTA aims to buy five e-Jest buses at $300,000 each, said spokesman Patrick Chilton.

MVTA installed a charger at its Eagan bus garage as part of the pilot. The agency plans to request money from the 2023 Federal Transit Administration's Low or No-Emission Program to install chargers to support six electric buses.

Snow brings big traffic decline

MnDOT asked drivers to stay home during the big February snowstorm, and a large number did. Traffic volume on Feb. 23 was 50% to 75% lighter than on an average day, with metro motorists cumulatively logging 1 million fewer vehicle miles.

"Thank you to Minnesotans for staying home," MnDOT said in a tweet. "Fewer vehicles out really helps our plow crews get your roads cleaned up quicker and more efficiently."

Tim Harlow covers traffic and transportation issues in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and likes to get out of the office, even during rush hour. He also covers the suburbs in northern Hennepin and all of Anoka counties, plus breaking news and weather. 

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