Council hears BRT design and paratransit facility plans; staff outlines electric-bus rollout and funding gap

City transportation staff presented design services for the Junction Road Paratransit Facility and described how that work fits into the broader Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) plan and federal grant strategy. Sean Hayslip (project manager, general services) introduced the item and invited Sean Egan (transportation director) to discuss scope and funding.

Egan said the procurement covers initial advance planning and schematic design to position the project competitively for federal grants. He told council the full 100% preconstruction/design package is projected at about $15,000,000; the city currently has about $5,000,000 available and the county transit work program includes a FY27 request for an additional $10,500,000 to fully fund the preconstruction activities. “Once we have that schematic done... that will position us to be very competitive for federal grants in addition to funding we'll be seeking,” Egan said.

Council members asked whether the $2.2 million contract before them covered the immediate work; Egan confirmed the smaller contract is to get the first design phase done and that later amendments would be required if additional funding is secured.

On the bus fleet, Egan said Durham has been acquiring battery-electric buses in batches; earlier orders mean buses arriving now were ordered roughly two years ago. He expects a total of about 22 battery-electric buses in service by the end of the month and said electric buses cost about double the upfront price of diesel but show lower maintenance costs per mile. “We are seeing lower maintenance costs per mile for the electric buses than we have for the diesel or hybrid buses in our fleet,” Egan said.

Council asked for local per-mile fuel-cost modeling and lifecycle analysis; Egan said staff has begun that work but does not yet have final results. Members also discussed the long-term goal of an all-electric fleet and noted the pace depends on federal funding and operational experience.

What happens next: staff will proceed with the design contract as scoped, continue coordination with Durham County and regional partners on funding, and advance charging infrastructure upgrades to support the growing electric fleet. Council requested follow-up data on NPAs and funding breakdowns and asked staff to return when federal or county funding decisions allow amendment to expand design services.