Latest news with #SarahWelch
Axios
30-05-2025
- General
- Axios
Most Ingersoll art bus shelters still not built after 3 years
Three years after the City Council approved them, seven art bus shelters along Ingersoll Avenue remain unbuilt. Why it matters: The project aimed to elevate the transit experience with creative community-inspired shelters, but delays have left most stops unchanged, with only one of eight installed so far. State of play: The shelters were anticipated soon after the council's approval, but the timeline was extended to allow the city and DART to update the terms of property easement agreements that are needed for their placements, DART spokesperson Sarah Welch tells Axios. The public transit system has also prioritized Reimagine DART, an ongoing effort to redesign the network to better align with modern transit needs. What's next: DART anticipates installing the next four this year, Welch said.
Axios
08-04-2025
- Automotive
- Axios
Des Moines transit scraps entire electric bus fleet
DART is disposing of its entire electric bus fleet after federal officials recently granted a waiver of its financial interest in the vehicles, transit spokesperson Sarah Welch tells Axios. Why it matters: The decision means the agency does not have to pay back as much as $2.85 million in federal grants for removing the buses from the road about seven years early. It also abruptly ended the metro's high-profile electric bus pilot project and added to a growing list of transit agencies that have pulled electric buses from service due to persistent reliability and safety concerns. Catch up quick: DART debuted the pilot program in 2020 to test how zero-emission vehicles would operate in the metro. It purchased seven buses for about $865,000 each. A federal grant paid 75% of the cost with expectations that the vehicles would be in its fleet for about a decade. Zoom in: DART's buses were pulled from service after less than two years because of expiring warranties, critical mechanical failures, safety concerns, and customer and driver complaints. Proterra, the California-based manufacturer of the buses, filed for bankruptcy in 2023 and was acquired by another company. What they're saying: The buses were only operable about 60% of the time, which was far below the 90% standard for typical buses, Welch said. The battery life during extreme weather was one of the issues. The federal waiver follows repeated failed attempts to resolve major issues with the manufacturer, Welch said. Yes, but: Although the buses faced reliability problems, the pilot showcased reduced energy costs of about 20% and 60% fewer CO2 emissions than diesel buses, DART noted in a recent blog post.
