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Durham transportation staff outline fleet challenges; council hears plan to expand routes and buy used diesel buses
Summary
City transportation staff told the council that hybrid buses have higher maintenance complexity and costs, that battery-electric buses show lower maintenance so far but lack long-term data, and that the city plans to add vehicles and expand routes including route 3 to serve East Durham schools and community connections.
Durham’s transportation director described bus fleet maintenance challenges and explained plans to expand service during a council discussion on Feb. 17.
Sean Egan, director of the city’s transportation department, told councilors that hybrid buses can be more expensive to maintain because they contain two propulsion systems (diesel and electric) and therefore may double the probability of component failure. Egan said newer battery-electric buses have shown lower maintenance costs in early years but the city lacks long-term data because its first electric purchases were made in 2021. He said the agency is monitoring maintenance costs and lifecycle performance for all vehicle types.
Because the system needs additional vehicles to support planned expansions, staff said the city will purchase used diesel buses in the short term while continuing to evaluate zero-emission options. Egan said recent purchases include a high share of new vehicles (roughly 65% of buses purchased in the last several years were new), and the department is pursuing enough vehicles to meet existing service demands and planned expansions.
The council discussed proposed multimodal safety improvements on several corridors, and staff said the planned GoldDurham (transit improvement program referenced in the agenda materials) work will add route 3 service in East Durham connecting The Village, Southern High School and local higher-education and workforce destinations. Egan described potential multimodal changes such as lane reconfigurations to add bus lanes or protected bike lanes and intersection safety improvements targeted at six locations identified in the project exhibits.
Councilors asked about relative lifecycle costs for diesel, hybrid and battery-electric buses, about the availability of used vehicles, and about the timeline for expanding service. Staff said the priority is to maintain reliable service and noted the fleet is near capacity; adding vehicles is necessary to expand frequency and extend service by the end of the fiscal year.
No contract award or ordinance was finalized in the meeting. Councilors requested updates on lifecycle cost comparisons and on how the department intends to fund expansions and vehicle purchases.
