Johns Hopkins University announced on Wednesday the initial step in a multi-year plan to transition to electric buses.
The Homewood-Peabody-JHMI route will begin using twelve new buses provided by the university’s new transportation service provider, Academy Bus, on Oct. 2.
The Homewood-Peabody-JHMI shuttle is the university’s most frequented route. It connects the university’s two primary campuses, the Peabody Institute, Mount Vernon neighborhood, and residential areas where students and faculty live.
Before the transition to remote school due to COVID-19, the shuttle transported an average of 5,500 passengers every weekday. At present, it carries about half of that number.
If all goes according to plan, half of the buses will be electric by 2024, with a complete transition to electric by 2026.
JHU’s transition to electric vehicles is a promising sign of the university’s commitment to the environment, and JHU is not the only university with an eye towards sustainability.
In 2018, Columbia University began the transition to electric shuttles, introducing some of the first electric buses to be used in New York City. Last week, the university announced that it will not install any new fossil fuel connections in future campus construction.
Given the fact that transportation accounts for the largest portion of greenhouse gas emissions, a shift to electric vehicles is a critical step towards a sustainable future.
