New electric buses hit the street Monday in La Crosse

Two new electric buses begin making regular routes throughout the La Crosse area Monday, bringing improvements to the MTU.

City transit director Adam Lorentz said regular riders should notice some differences between the old and new buses.

“They’re obviously quieter, it’s a smoother ride, and yeah, there’s actually training that goes with the drivers,” Lorentz said. “Buses recharge, buses brake differently, but for the most part, the operation is the same.”

The two buses were unveiled at the La Crosse Center last week. A former La Crosse bus driver, Mike Nelson, got in the driver’s seat of one bus to see what it was like.

“Very similar,” he said. “Same fare box, different controls, but basic.”

Nelson drove buses in La Crosse for three years, and for 12 years in Phoenix.

Lorentz added that more new electric buses could arrive in the next two years. He hopes the new buses will attract more riders.

Critics of electric buses claim that the city is wasting money, because only around one percent of the city’s population actually takes the buses.

Lorentz said the goal is to bring on new electric buses gradually, not to switch over all at once.