Public transit advisory changes and electric-bus recall slow service, agency says
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Summary
House Transportation heard that PTAC membership will be updated to reflect current stakeholders and that some electric buses are out of service after a battery recall; AOT expects an operational impact snapshot in March and indoor charging upgrades next year.
Ross McDonald, public transit program manager, told the House Transportation Committee the Section 7 changes are largely housekeeping for the Public Transit Advisory Council (PTAC), substituting an AARP representative for a folded program seat and recognizing Premier Coach as the private inner‑city operator representing commuter routes.
McDonald said the agency has frequently worked with Kelly Stoddard Poor of AARP and proposed naming her to replace the former COVE representative. He said Premier Coach and its operations manager Chip Desital have participated consistently in PTAC and that a single private‑operator seat now covers the inner‑city operator role.
Committee members asked whether regional planning commissions or other stakeholders should have seats; McDonald said internal review guided the edits and the agency remains open to adding members if warranted.
The committee then turned to electric buses. Representative Casey asked, "What's electric buses doing?" McDonald said performance has been "not great," describing a manufacturer battery recall that left some vehicles unable to charge in cold conditions and temporarily sidelined several buses. An agency representative described manufacturer guidance not to charge certain batteries inside until the recall remedy is completed: "Don't charge them, you know, inside," the speaker said, quoting the manufacturer's instruction relayed to the committee.
McDonald said fleets typically maintain a 15–20% spare vehicle ratio and that AOT had rallied other providers to supply replacement vehicles to cover downtime. He said the agency will produce an operational snapshot of the electric fleet’s performance and impacts in March and expects an indoor charging project at the GMT facility to be completed next year, which should reduce cold‑weather charging limitations.
Committee members discussed manufacturer responsibility and potential insurance or warranty coverage for the added costs and downtime. McDonald said contract parameters will be reviewed to seek compensation where appropriate and noted that other manufacturers (references were made to New Flyer and Gillig in the discussion) have met performance expectations.
Next steps: AOT will provide the March operational snapshot and follow up on contract and warranty issues; the committee will consider those materials in future briefings.
