MCI 1st Airport to Deliver Electric Shuttle Buses.

Kansas City International Airport and North America’s largest electric bus manufacturer, today announced delivery of the airport’s four battery-electric 30 ft. coach buses – the first electric buses for airport passenger service in the U.S. The buses will serve as parking lot shuttles, bringing passengers to the airport terminals. These electric buses serve as another example of how Kansas City is leading the Midwest and the nation as a hotbed for deploying electric vehicles.
BYD customized the buses for Kansas City Airport to include luggage racks for passenger use. BYD built the four zero-emission, battery-electric buses at its Coach and Bus manufacturing facility in Lancaster, Calif. Kansas City Council approved the order of four 30 ft. battery-electric transit coaches for use at Kansas City Airport in November 2016.
“The Kansas City Aviation Department has long been at the forefront in implementing the latest in environmentally friendly programs and vehicles,” said Kansas City Director of Aviation Pat Klein. “In 1997, we deployed a fleet of the first compressed natural gas mass transit vehicles in regular use in Kansas City. We are one-upping that milestone by purchasing these electric buses to further lessen fleet emissions.”
“BYD is proud to work with Kansas City International Airport to provide these four buses with zero tailpipe emissions, giving airport passengers a cleaner and healthier ride,” said BYD Heavy Industries Senior Vice President Macy Neshati. “Kansas City International Airport will enjoy cost savings by operating the BYD battery-electric buses because they reduce fuel and maintenance costs by tens of thousands of dollars over the lifetime of the bus.”

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It sounds good until you realize that those busses cost roughly 3 times what the standard bus costs. Turns out the cost to purchase, fuel and maintain the regular bus is still less than buying the electric busses.