Georgia State lands $22 million-plus grant for electric buses

ATLANTA — Georgia State University will receive nearly $22.3 million in federal funding to take its Panther Express bus fleet fully electric.

The $22.29 million is part of a $1.7 billion package of grants awarded to governments and transit agencies across the country for 1,700 new low- and zero-emission buses. The funding, heading to 46 states and territories, comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration under the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law.

Georgia State, one of 130 grant recipients, will purchase 18 new electric buses and the equipment to charge them, making it the first university in the Southeast and one of the first in the country to operate a fully electric fleet.

“This grant will allow us to transition to an all-electric bus fleet, reducing emissions, protecting the environment and enhancing the health of our students, faculty and staff,” Georgia State President M. Brian Blake said. “It is another way we are prioritizing sustainability here at Georgia State as well as continuing a sense of placemaking for our community.”

Panther Express provides last-mile service around Georgia State’s downtown Atlanta Campus, with stops in the Fairlie-Poplar Historic District, the Sweet Auburn neighborhood, the university’s residential corridor and Historic Summerhill, near Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium. Daily routes operate from 7 a.m. to midnight weekdays during the summer.

“Every day, over 60,000 buses in communities of all sizes take millions of Americans to work, school and everywhere else they need to go,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “Today’s announcement means more clean buses, less pollution, more jobs in manufacturing and maintenance, and better commutes for families across the country.”

Special Photo: Georgia State