Clean and green, two new electric buses are ready for use on La Crosse’s streets

The electric buses have arrived in La Crosse. 

The MTU has unveiled two green-colored buses which will be on the streets as of Monday, using electric power instead of fossil fuel. 

Under the last two mayors, City Hall has spent about five years trying to bring the new buses to La Crosse.  Current Mayor Mitch Reynolds gets excited about plans to charge the buses through the city’s sewer plant.

“Because we’ll be using the methane that’s normally burned off from the digestion of solids at the wastewater treatment plant, and we’re creating a microgrid which will essentially power these buses,” Reynolds told an audience at the La Crosse Center ceremony. “I get so geeked out on this, and so excited.”

Among the guests attending the ceremony was former La Crosse Mayor Tim Kabat, who made electric buses a priority during his terms at City Hall.

Mark Stoering, the president of Xcel Energy operations for Wisconsin and Michigan, lauded the electric bus project.

“With gas prices hovering around, I think I saw $4.54 when I drove into La Crosse last night,” Stoering said, “a growing number of drivers are electing to fill at the plug instead of the pump, and we’re willing and able and ready to support that.”