SPRINGDALE, Utah, Feb. 2, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Zion National Park is receiving a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to begin replacing its “aged” shuttle bus fleet with new battery-electric transit buses, officials said Tuesday.
The fleet replacement project will couple funding through USDoT’s Nationally Significant Lands and Tribal Program with contributions from the National Park Service, Iron and Washington Counties and the Zion National Park Forever Project, the park’s official non-profit partner, said a news release.
“The new fleet will include 26 battery-electric buses and 27 charging stations to replace the current propane-powered transit fleet,” the news release said. “Engineering and service connections have been completed for the first phase of electric charging station installation in 2021. Delivery of new battery-electric buses will occur periodically over the next several years.”
The Zion Canyon Transportation System started operation in July 2000 with a fleet of 30 propane-powered low-emission buses, operating on shuttle loops within the national park and the town of Springdale. The existing shuttle fleet accommodated more than 6 million passenger boardings in 2019.
