KINGSTON – Ulster County plans on applying to the federal government so that it can purchase a total of eight electric buses for UCAT – Ulster County Area Transit.
It would like to purchase additional green vehicles but the only facility in the county that can charge them is at the garage at Golden Hill in Kingston, said Deputy County Executive Chris Kelly.
“We are limited to how far out we can go from there without creating too much headway time, or you do have to bring these back in for charge at times,” he said. “We do feel comfortable that we can certainly do the Kingston area. Saugerties we are doing and some of the other routes, but we are not going to be able to run down to Ellenville and back in an efficient way on these buses just yet.”
Kelly said future expansion of the program will be explored, but he cautioned that the cost of the electric charging stations that would have to be located in other areas of the county is very expensive.
