The Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) has been proud to partner with Proterra to support Port Arthur Transit's (PAT) deployment of six, 35-foot Proterra battery-electric buses into their fleet. The buses were delivered to Port Arthur in December 2020 and entered revenue service in January 2021. In coordination with this project, PAT completed design and construction of a new 11,842 square foot service building to support deployment of battery-electric buses. The service building is equipped with three service bays and the necessary charging infrastructure to support bus charging. Building design was completed by Huitt-Zollars, Inc. and construction was managed by Construction Managers of Southeast Texas, LLC, under a direct contract with PAT.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded PAT a grant under the 2016 Low or No Emissions Vehicle Program to purchase the buses and chargers. As this project was initially funded in 2016, the kick-off did not occur until June 2018 as the region was heavily damaged by Hurricane Harvey in August of 2017.

As part of CTE's smart deployment services, we functioned as the technical support and project manager to ensure the successful deployment of the six new electric buses. CTE staff supported this project by providing route and rate modeling, bus procurement and contract support, coordination of infrastructure design and installation, bus and charger performance validation, revenue service monitoring, key performance indicator (KPI) reporting, and project management services.

PAT's purchase of these electric buses marks their commitment to pursuing innovative projects that benefit the community. The new electric vehicles are expected to save them money in fuel and maintenance costs, increase fuel efficiency, and benefit riders with a quieter more enjoyable rider experience. As one of the first transit agencies in the region to operate battery-electric transit buses, PAT envisions becoming a resource for other agencies who want to implement zero-emission technologies.

The Proterra Catalyst bus is 100% electric, with no tailpipe emissions. Each time an electric bus replaces a diesel bus, about 230,000 pounds of CO2 are avoided each year, equivalent to planting 5,000 trees. With approximately 30% fewer parts than a combustion engine, Proterra electric drivetrains simplify maintenance and lower operating costs.CTE is proud to support PAT in their first step towards a cleaner, healthier transportation future for the Port Arthur community. CTE is also supporting PAT on its 2018 Low-No project which includes four more battery electric buses to be delivered in April 2021. Port Arthur also hopes to win a third Low-No award in 2021 for two additional buses for a total of 12.

Project Partners

This project was made possible thanks to the following partners:

‍Federal Transit Administration (FTA) - Funding Support

‍Port Arthur Transit (PAT) - Fixed-route and paratransit public transportation provider for the City of Port Arthur, Texas.

‍Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) - Technical Support and Project Management

‍Proterra - Manufacturer of Battery Electric Buses

‍Huitt-Zollars - Architectural and engineering support for new service building including the charging infrastructure

‍Construction Managers of Southeast Texas, LLC - Construction of the new service building and associated charging infrastructure