Vermont’s $8M Electric Buses Failed in Cold

Adriana Stone 0 1 min read

Vermont’s $8M Electric Buses Failed in Cold

Vermont spent big on electric buses. Then winter came. The buses didn’t work.

Green Mountain Transit bought five electric buses. The price tag? About $8 million. Sounds like progress. In practice, not so much.

Local reporting summed it up bluntly:

Vermont EV buses prove unreliable for transportation this winter

Electric buses are proving unreliable this winter for Vermont’s Green Mountain Transit, as it needs to be over 41 degrees for the buses to charge, but due to a battery recall the buses are a fire hazard and can’t be charged in a garage.

That line explains the problem. The buses need at least 41 degrees to charge safely. This winter, Vermont hasn’t hit that mark much. A battery recall means they can’t be charged indoors because of a fire risk. So they sit outside, covered in snow.

Critics are loud. Larry Behrens laid it out: “Taxpayers were sold an $8 million ‘solution’ that can’t operate in cold weather when the home for these buses is in New England.”

He didn’t stop there: “We’re beyond the point where this looks like incompetence and starts to smell like fraud,” Behrens said.

And again: “When government rushes money out the door to satisfy green mandates, basic questions about performance, safety, and value for taxpayers are always pushed aside,” Behrens said. “Americans deserve to know who approved this purchase and why the red flags were ignored.”

Green Mountain Transit’s general manager gave the federal grant angle some defense. Clayton Clark told The Center Square that “the federal government provides public transit agencies with new buses through a competitive grant application process, and success is not a given.”

The practical result: five expensive buses that can’t be used most of the winter. Diesel buses keep running. Riders still need service. Taxpayers still paid millions.

There are fixes: replace batteries, add cold-capable chargers, or swap to different vehicles. But those cost money, and the first purchase is already on the books. People will want a clear accounting of who approved this and why the risks were missed.

Accountability matters. So does maintaining transit for riders. This episode is a warning: technology is only as good as the planning behind it.

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