AL-2024-014

APPLICATION PURPOSE: THE CRIMSON RIDE FLEET WHILE CONTINUING TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY AND OFFER RIDES TO AN INCREASING POPULATION ON UA CAMPUS AND FROM LOCAL COMMUNITIES IS BEGINNING TO SHOW SIGNS OF AGE. IN THE CURRENT FLEET 15 DIESEL BUSES ARE AT LEAST 15 YEARS OLD AND OVERDUE FOR REPLACEMENT. DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS OF THE CURRENT BUS FLEET CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE 3 IN THE APPENDIX. BUDGET ISSUES INCLUDING LOST REVENUE FROM THE COVID PANDEMIC HAVE DELAYED THOSE PURCHASES AND MANY OTHERS. THROUGH THIS GRANT THE TRANSPORTATION SERVICE DEPARTMENT WILL REPLACE 8 DIESEL BUSES IN ITS FLEET WITH ELECTRIC BUSES THEREBY REDUCING DIESEL EMISSIONS AND EXPENSES RELATED TO FUEL CONSUMPTION AND VEHICLE MAINTENANCE. THE GRANT WILL ALSO SUPPORT THE ACQUIREMENT OF CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADE THE CURRENT POWER GRID AND ACCELERATE WORKFORCE TRAINING TO SUPPORT A SMOOTH TRANSITION INTO ELECTRIC BUS OPERATIONS. THE CURRENT VENDOR FOR THE CRIMSON RIDE UTILIZES APPROXIMATELY 30 BUSES A DAY FOR THE SERVICE HOURS. REDUCING THE OPERATION COST WITH ELECTRIC BUSES WILL RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL SAVINGS FOR THE UNIVERSITY. THESE SAVINGS WILL RESULT IN OPTIONS FOR EXPANDED ROUTES AND OPPORTUNITIES TO BROADEN THE COVERAGE OF OTHER AREAS OF TUSCALOOSA TO PROVIDE ZERO-EMISSION TRANSIT SERVICES FOR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES AND DISADVANTAGED POPULATION GROUPS. MODIFYING THE CURRENT FLEET WILL ALSO ALLOW THE CRIMSON RIDE TRANSIT TO MEET THE CAMPUS POPULATION GROWTH WHILE MOVING RESOURCES WHERE THEY CAN BE BEST UTILIZED. THE EMISSIONS REDUCTION WILL ALSO HAVE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT. THE TRANSFER TO ELECTRIC BUSES WILL RESULT IN A DROP IN ENERGY CONSUMPTION UPSTREAM EMISSIONS AND ON-ROAD EMISSIONS. THIS COMMITMENT TO A GREENER METHOD OF TRANSPORTATION CAN BE A STARTING POINT FOR FURTHER REGIONAL COMMITMENTS AND INITIATIVES TO IMPROVE AIR QUALITY IN ALABAMA.; ACTIVITIES PERFORMED: - THIS PROJECT WILL REPLACE 8 DIESEL BUSES OVER 15 YEARS OLD WITH EQUIVALENT ELECTRIC BUSES.- THE PROJECT WILL ADD 8 PEDESTAL-TYPE STANDARD CHARGING UNITS (100 KW).- IT WILL ENABLE THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OF 6 ELECTRIC TECHNICIANS AND TRANSIT OPERATORS TO SERVICE AND SUPPORT THE ELECTRIC BUS FLEET AND 9 SKILLED WORKERS IN MANAGEMENT. IT WILL ALSO UPGRADE THE CURRENT MAINTENANCE FACILITY FOR DIESEL BUSES TO SUPPORT THE OPERATION OF ELECTRIC BUSES.- 20% OF THE TRANSIT SERVICE MILEAGE OF CRIMSON RIDE WILL BE FULLY ELECTRIFIED TO PROVIDE FREE-OF-CHARGE ZERO-EMISSION MOBILITY SERVICES. THIS WILL REDUCE BOTH OPERATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL BURDENS IN SERVING DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES.- THE PROJECT WILL VALIDATE THE FEASIBILITY OF OPERATING NEW ELECTRIC BUS SERVICES TO CONNECT TO TUSCALOOSA TRANSIT SERVICES AND TO SERVE STUDENTS AND OTHER COMMUTERS FROM STILLMAN COLLEGE (HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE) AND SHELTON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRAVELING TO THE MAIN UA CAMPUS FOR MICRO-CREDENTIAL PROGRAMS RELATED TO VEHICLE ELECTRIFICATION AND MANUFACTURING. AFTER SUCCESSFUL VALIDATION FULL SERVICES WILL BE PILOTED UPON BEING AWARDED THE NEXT NO-LOW GRANT. ; EXPECTED OUTCOMES: BENEFITS OF THE PROJECT WILL COVER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CREATING GOOD-PAYING JOBS ADDRESSING EQUITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ISSUES AND EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS. THIS GRANT WILL INITIATE THESE CHANGES AS THE FIRST STEP TO OUR OVERARCHING GOAL OF FULLY ELECTRIFYING THE BUS FLEET OF CRIMSON RIDE TRANSIT. ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS: THE OPERATION OF THE CURRENT AGING DIESEL FLEET WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR OF SOOT NITROGEN OXIDES AND HYDRO-CARBONS AND HAVE AN ADVERSE IMPACT ON OUR POPULATIONS. THE INTRODUCTION OF ELECTRIC BUSES IN THIS PROJECT WILL IMPROVE THE EQUIVALENT DIESEL FUEL EFFICIENCY BY OVER 4 TIMES. THE ELECTRIC BUS WILL ALSO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS BY 62% AS COMPARED TO THE DIESEL BUS.WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT: TRANSITIONING FROM A DIESEL BUS FLEET TO AN ELECTRIC BUS FLEET WILL JUMP-START THE APPRENTICESHIP AND TECHNICAL PROGRAMS IN ELECTRIC VEHICLE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR. IT WILL ALSO LEAD TO THE INITIATION OF THE LABOR-MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROGRAM. THIS PROJECT WILL ENABLE CLOSER COOPERATION BETWEEN SHELTON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE (SSCC) STILLMAN COLLEGE (SC) AND THE ALABAMA MOBILITY AND POWER (AMP) CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA. THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM WILL ALSO AFFECT THE TRAINING OF SKILLED WORKERS FOR THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY PLANT OF MERCEDES-BENZ U.S. INTERNATIONAL AND ITS SUPPLIERS IN ALABAMA. COMBINING THESE EFFORTS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO SUSTAINABLE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FOR THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE ECOSYSTEM.CREATE GOOD-PAYING JOBS: WITH THE MASSIVE EXPANSION OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANUFACTURING IN ALABAMA EV MANUFACTURERS IN THE REGION OF THIS PROJECT ARE SUPPORTING INTERNSHIPS FOR STUDENTS STARTING THEIR FRESHMAN YEAR WITH THE OPTION OF A FULL CONTRACT UPON GRADUATION. THE PROJECTS EFFORTS WILL CREATE ADDITIONAL GOOD-PAYING JOBS IN THE REGION FOLLOWING THE EXPANSION OF THE ELECTRIC BUS FLEET AND CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE.EQUITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: THE PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO RACIAL EQUITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE (EJ) ISSUES IN THE REGION. CURRENTLY IN THE AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING PLANTS IN ALABAMA OVER HALF OF THE WORKERS ARE AFRICAN AMERICANS. THROUGH THE EXPANSION OF THE WORKFORCE OF ELECTRIC BUSES A SIMILAR TREND IS EXPECTED WHICH WILL BENEFIT THE LOCAL MINORITY AND DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES. THE PROJECT AREA ALSO CONSISTS OF 13% EJ POPULATION SUFFERING CANCER RISK FROM AIR TOXICS AND THE ELECTRIC BUS FLEET COVERS THE SERVICE AREAS WITH A RATE OF AT LEAST 68% (UP TO 96%) MORE RESPIRATORY DISEASES THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. THE REDUCTIONS IN EMISSIONS ARE EXPECTED TO MITIGATE THIS ISSUE AND PROMOTE BETTER HEALTH. THE NEW ELECTRIC TRANSIT SYSTEM (IF FULLY ELECTRIFIED) WILL CONSIST OF ADA-COMPLIANT BUSES AND WILL COVER 38000 STUDENTS AT UA 7000 STUDENTS AT SSCC AND 700 STUDENTS AT SC. AMONG THESE STUDENTS OVER 15% ARE FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS 18% ARE MINORITY POPULATIONS AND 7% ARE ENROLLED WITH DISABILITY SERVICES.EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS: THE ELECTRIC BUS FLEET WILL EXPOSE THE NEXT GENERATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TO NEW KNOWLEDGE IN TRANSPORTATION ELECTRIFICATION INCLUDING BATTERY TECHNOLOGIES ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANUFACTURING GRID INTEGRATION RENEWABLE POWER GENERATION ECONOMIC GROWTH AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT. IT ALSO OFFERS K-12 STUDENTS THE EARLY EXPERIENCE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY CULTIVATING AN INTEREST IN STEM AND CONTRIBUTING TO DIVERSE FUTURE WORKFORCE PREPARATION AND DEVELOPMENT.; INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: CRIMSON RIDE PROVIDES CRITICAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SERVICES ON THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA (UA) CAMPUS AND CONNECTS TO SURROUNDING AREAS IN TUSCALOOSA COUNTY. THE SERVICE COVERS OVER 38000 UA STUDENTS 7000 UA STAFF AND 50000 LOCAL RESIDENTS WHILE CONTINUING TO EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT GROWTH AND CHANGE. THE CAMPUS POPULATION HAS GROWN BY OVER 25% IN RECENT YEARS AND THE UNIVERSITYS TRANSPORTATION NETWORK TRANSIT SYSTEM AND PARKING FACILITIES HAVE EVOLVED TO KEEP UP WITH AND ACCOMMODATE THE GROWING USER NEEDS. THE POPULATION IN THE TUSCALOOSA AREA CLIMBED 11% FROM 2010 TO 2020. OUTSIDE OF TUSCALOOSA THE COUNTYS SMALLER TOWNS AND CITIES SAW EVEN LARGER INCREASES; ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS STATISTICS ALMOST ALL OF THE SMALL TOWNS AND COMMUNITIES ACROSS TUSCALOOSA COUNTY SAW DOUBLE-DIGIT INCREASES IN THEIR POPULATIONS BETWEEN 2010 AND 2020. UA TRANSIT IS OPEN TO ALL RIDERS IN THE GREATER CAMPUS AREA AND SERVES AS A CONNECTOR FROM CAMPUS TO THE SURROUNDING AREA OF TUSCALOOSA. THE TRANSIT SERVICE IS ALSO A CRITICAL MOBILITY TOOL FOR LOCAL MINORITIES (E.G. 44% ARE AFRICAN AMERICAN) AND LOW-INCOME GROUPS (23.7% POVERTY RATE). THE ADAPTATIONS AND GROWTH OF THE PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION COMPONENTS ON CAMPUS AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN FOCUSED ON THE DESIRE TO PROVIDE A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE FOR ALL RIDERS AND CONTINUE TO MAKE STRIDES FOR A CLEANER AND MORE EFFICIENT FLEET. THIS GRANT WILL ALLOW THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACCELERATE THIS GOAL OF REDUCING THE CARBON FOOTPRINT BY REPLACING DIESEL BUSES WITH ELECTRIC ONES.ALONGSIDE THE POPULATION GROWTH THE SERVICE AREA IS ALSO UNDERGOING A DRAMATIC EXPANSION TOWARDS AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE ECOSYSTEM WITH INVESTMENTS IN NEW INITIATIVES BUILDINGS AND INFRASTRUCTURE. EXAMPLES INCLUDE THE ALABAMA MOBILITY AND POWER (AMP) CENTER FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES ($37 MILLION) AND THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING LED BY ALABAMA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE. IN ADDITION THE LOCAL INDUSTRY IS EXPANDING AT AN UNPRECEDENTED RATE. IN PARTICULAR MERCEDES BENZ U.S. INTERNATIONAL (MBUSI) HAS COMMISSIONED A NEW BATTERY PLANT IN BIBB COUNTY ADJACENT TO TUSCALOOSA COUNTY WITH AN INVESTMENT OF OVER $500 MILLION AND OVER 1000 NEW JOBS. MBUSI AND ALABAMA POWER CO. ALSO COLLABORATE WITH THE AMP CENTER IN INSTALLING A MICROGRID FOR FACILITATING RESEARCH IN ELECTRIC VEHICLE-TO-GRID INTERACTIONS. ; SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: NONE

University Of Alabama

THE LOW OR NO EMISSION COMPETITIVE PROGRAM PROVIDES FUNDING FOR THE PURCHASE OR LEASE OF ZERO-EMISSION AND LOW-EMISSION TRANSIT BUSES AS WELL AS ACQUISITION CONSTRUCTION AND LEASING OF REQUIRED SUPPORTING FACILITIES.

20.526 - Buses and Bus Facilities Formula, Competitive, and Low or No Emissions Programs

FTA Region 4 [DOT - FTA]

FTA Office of Budget and Policy [DOT - FTA]

Alabama United States

State-Wide

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