The inside of the Twin Transit demonstration electric bus is seen equipped with display screens Monday afternoon in front of the Centralia Train Depot.
The Twin Transit demonstration electric bus is seen Monday afternoon in front of the Centralia Train Depot. The bus features a zero-emission propulsion system.
Debbie Nix, of Centralia, rides the Twin Transit demonstration electric bus Monday afternoon in the Yard Birds parking lot in Chehalis.
Passengers board the Twin Transit electric demonstration bus Monday afternoon in Chehalis. The bus offered free rides Monday and Tuesday to allow passengers to try-out the new bus.
A line of riders wait to board the electric demonstration bus Monday afternoon in downtown Chehalis.
Rose Fair, of Centralia, is seen riding the Twin Transit demonstration electric bus with her service dog Bella Monday afternoon in Centralia.
Tammy Newby, of Centralia, is seen rides the bus Monday afternoon in Centralia.
The Twin Transit demonstration electric bus is seen Monday afternoon in front of the Centralia Train Depot.
Centralia commuters got a free ride Monday when Twin Transit brought in an electric bus for a day-long demonstration.
General Manager Derrick Wojcik-Damers said last week that he hopes the free rides will show the public and the state that Twin Transit is a good candidate for an electric bus fleet and help it compete for grant dollars.
While driver Gary Kidd navigated Route 32 yesterday afternoon, Geno Wilber rode along to see how this bus handled turns on his usual route. Wilber, who has worked at Twin Transit for the last 10 years, said he supports bringing electric buses to the fleet.
“I think it’s going to be great,” Wilber said. “It’s quiet. It will cost less to run than diesel. It costs $85 a day, I think, to run each gas bus. It’s cheaper to run these because you aren’t paying for diesel. I think I would like to see electric buses more. I think that would be great.”
Kidd, who has worked at Twin Transit for eight years, started his first route at 6:30 a.m. Monday morning.
“It’s a really nice ride,” Kidd said.
The one-hour loop from Centralia to Chehalis made stops along the Miracle Mile, the Sunbirds Shopping Center, Walmart and downtown Chehalis.
Tammy Newby and Debbie Nix, who both had separate destinations, see each other nearly every day on the bus. They were both “born and raised in Centralia” and grew up together. Newby said she was a few years older than Nix, but she went to school with Nix’s older brothers.
“I know everyone and they know me,” Newby said. “My grandkids moved, so I don’t watch them anymore.”
Newby has been riding the bus every weekday for the last two years.
“I really like this bus,” Newby said. “It’s smooth, not so loud. When the driver hits the brakes, you don’t feel it as much. I usually have to hold onto my cart. This bus is way better. Sometimes I have to stand on the other buses and it’s rough to stand. The diesel smell wasn’t good either. The air is a lot cleaner.”
Nix said she has ridden the bus every day but Sunday for the last three years because she doesn’t have a vehicle.
“I know all the drivers very well and they know me,” Nix said.
“This bus is really quiet and a lot bigger. Our buses are really old and have been through a lot, but this one might be too big for us.”
Dianne Krause, who moved to Centralia last June, said she started taking the bus to explore the city. She mostly enjoys going to bookstores and the library and doesn’t care if the bus is gas or electric.
“This is a beautiful bus and there are plenty of seats,” Krause said. “All the bus drivers are courteous and helpful. It’s helpful for the seniors that live here because a lot of us don’t drive.”
Rose Fair, who also moved to Centralia last year, said she, too, takes the bus every day.
“I love Centralia, I’ll never move away from here,” Fair said. “They ought to call this ‘the friendly town.’ I don’t have a car, so I take the bus everywhere I go. I just wish they would run later in the summertime.”
Fair said she prefers the electric bus.
“You’re saving on gas, so that’s going to drop the cost,” Fair said. “It rides smoother, but it needs more leg room between seats. Everybody has to pay when gas prices go up. For those of us on limited incomes, who can’t afford a car, we don’t want to pay when gas prices go up.”
The Centralia Coal Transition Energy Technology Board awarded Twin Transit a $37,810 grant for the installation of an electric charging station in early 2017.
The Twin Transit Board of Directors in early 2016 approved the purchase of one 30-foot fully electric heavy-duty bus. The purchase amount is not to exceed $569,858, according to previous reporting in The Chronicle. Twin Transit, though, does not have an electric bus of its own today.
Wojcik-Damers didn't make himself available to comment on the status of those projects on Monday.
