ST. CLAIR COUNTY TRANSIT DISTRICT AWARDS CONTRACT FOR ZERO EMISSION BUS ANALYSIS of ATS FLEET

The St. Clair County Transit District Board (SCCTD) of Commissioners awarded a contract to STV Inc. at its Feb. 28 meeting for a system-wide analysis of the ATS fleet including conversion options to zero-emission and a rollout plan.  The $77,997 contract will include the consideration of operational and financial impacts of a full-fleet conversion.

Each year, the St. Clair County Transit District invests millions in operating MetroLink, the connecting MetroBus system, microtransit, ATS, and the connecting MetroBikeLink system.   In addition, SCCTD will break ground in 2023 on a light rail extension project to MidAmerica Airport.  SCCTD is using the ATS fleet through a contract with Southwestern Illinois College to provide call-a-ride, curb-to-curb service to individuals who are certified as American Disabilities Act (ADA) eligible and those age 60 and older in some areas. These vehicles are also used for SCCTD’s flexible, on-demand, shared-ride Flyer services offered in East St. Louis, Fairmont City, Brooklyn, Scott Air Force Base, and Belleville.

“All of these transit options available through SCCTD have a direct impact on the environment as residents move from driving alone to transit.   However, SCCTD has an opportunity to impact climate change further through a conversion of the ATS fleet to zero-emission vehicles,” said Herb Simmons, Chair of the St. Clair County Board of Trustees.  “This study is the first step to begin the conversion process.”

In January, the St. Clair County Transit District (SCCTD) was awarded a $10,873,440 grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation’s third round of its “Rebuild Illinois” statewide transit capital program. The grant will be used to upgrade SCCTD’s current ATS vehicles by replacing them with zero-emission models and building the necessary infrastructure to support the transformation of the ATS fleet to zero-emissions.

The study is expected to last six months.