Durham approves 10 diesel buses after federal policy shifts, imperiling 2035 electrification goal

Durham City Council heard on April 9 that the city plans to accept a Federal Transit Administration grant to purchase 10 diesel buses after federal priorities and cost differentials made battery‑electric vehicles infeasible for the current procurement.

Transportation Director Sean Egan told council the administration determined diesel was the only viable option to secure competitive federal dollars after the federal policy direction shifted earlier this year and federal electrification support waned. “With the new administration coming in January of 2025, they made it clear … their priority was fossil‑fuel‑powered buses,” Egan said, explaining the city’s choice to apply for diesel vehicles to obtain grant funding.

The announcement prompted sharp questions from council members about the implications for Durham’s climate goals. “We set out a goal to be 100% electric fleet by 2035,” Egan acknowledged. Council members pressed staff on how the diesel purchase alters that timetable; staff said the city’s forecast now pushes the target into the 2040s absent substantial changes in federal policy or material cost declines. Council Member Rrist summarized staff projections bluntly: “We’re at about a third now,” referring to the proportion of the fleet that is battery electric, and added that purchases planned through 2028 will likely be diesel until funding changes.

Staff defended the decision as a pragmatic tradeoff between maintaining reliable transit service and fiscal constraints. Egan said lifecycle and maintenance comparisons are improving as Durham operates more battery electric buses — the city recently put 15 new battery buses into revenue service — but current life‑cycle and up‑front infrastructure costs (charger installation, facility upgrades) mean the diesel option allows the city to expand service and replace aging vehicles now.

Council members pressed for follow‑up reporting: several asked staff to quantify how this procurement changes the numeric trajectory toward the electrification goal, and for a clearer plan to mitigate greenhouse‑gas impacts while keeping service reliability central. Staff said they will incorporate the procurement decision into an update to the city’s sustainability plan and return with updated scenarios and life‑cycle cost comparisons.

Outcome and next steps: Council did not reject the grant; the administration proceeded with the federal application and recommended procurement strategy. Staff committed to returning with updated modeling on the fleet electrification timeline and to brief council on maintenance cost comparisons as more local electric fleet data becomes available.