On the streets of Gary, the rumble of diesel engines are starting to be replaced with the hum of electric buses in a significant and eco-friendly shift toward sustainable urban transit.
Gary Public Transportation Corp. unveiled four new electric buses this fall, not only marking a transition toward reducing the city’s carbon footprint, but also establishing it as only the second city in the state to adopt electric vehicles.
GPTC introduced its new fleet of white, 35-foot-long buses, featuring the symbol of the piping plover — a small, sand-colored shorebird native to Northwest Indiana — symbolizing its commitment to the environment. The transition is expected to offer a more sustainable transportation option for riders while focusing on cost savings and enhancing customer satisfaction.
For Gary, a city already grappling with poor air quality, environmental measures to reduce decades’ worth of air pollution are essential in the city’s infrastructure planning. For David Wright, GPTC’s planning, marketing and grants manager, sustainable transportation hits close to home. His experience as a volunteer with the Indiana Dunes Learning Center and Grand Cal Task Force informs his approach in his current job.
“We should not have to deal with the environmental racism that is a large component of why our backyards are filled with factories and deposited waste,” he said. “We shouldn’t have to deal with the air quality impact of commerce going through our cities and people driving into Gary to work but don’t live here, and then driving out. So any incremental reduction in air pollution, in my opinion, is going to help.”
Electric buses have become a growing trend in the U.S. With 650 in operation in 2019, the figure doubled to over 1,500 in 2021. In Northwest Indiana, electric buses are estimated to save up to $120,000 per year and have 90% less carbon emissions compared with traditional diesel-fueled buses, according to GTPC.
Denise Dillard, the interim general manager of GPTC, said that sustainable transit is also an important part of making access equitable across the region.
“As we look at the environmental impact, the carbon footprint, what does that do with respiratory, why do we have so many young people that have asthma in our community?” Dillard asked. “Those are important factors. Factors about the infrastructure, not being set up or utilized to improve our condition. So we’re really pushing those kinds of narratives.”
Wright said that providing an option for people to get out of their cars, and into the buses, can help reduce pollution on busy streets like Broadway.
“Broadway is a long heat island when it comes to heat and air pollution,” Wright said. “And reducing the emissions on the corridor is one way we’re helping by making transit more attractive.”
GPTC said it plans to use the chargeable, quiet-as-a-hum electric vehicles as a test case for an eventual systemwide switch from traditional diesel-fueled buses that release smoke into the air every ride. If the electric buses are successful, GPTC said it plans to adopt two or three more buses each year until they have a fully replaced fleet.
Dillard said they are not only an environmentally friendly option but affordable, safer, and accessible.
“Public transportation is about access and connectivity for all people,” she said. “So it’s an economic development issue as well as hitting those areas of impact for the environment. It’s certainly about the health of people,” she said. “I think we’re not new to it. But it hasn’t been something invested in as a region for a long time here.”
So far, things seem to be looking up for a greener Gary. Though overall ridership is about 70% of pre-pandemic levels, according to GPTC, many routes are meeting or exceeding previous numbers. Additionally, since the new EVs debuted on the road in September, Wright said, community feedback has been positive.
“There are people who I’ve talked to on the buses who say, ‘You know what, you guys are making an investment in sustainability, and that’s one of the reasons why we make an investment in you,’” he said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story mistakenly described the scope of Gary Public Transportation Corp.’s electric transit vehicle program. GPTC hopes to eventually make a systemwide shift away from traditional diesel-fueled buses.