WMATA Battery Electric Bus Study

Foursquare ITP is currently supporting WMATA’s two-phase Battery Electric Bus (BEB) alternatives analysis (Phase 1) and pilot program (Phase 2). Our team provided a technical memorandum that included a summary of peer experiences across the United States that have incorporated BEBs into their fleets, including interviews with their staff. We also analyzed every route in the WMATA system to provide a complete profile that will be used to select routes for the pilot program. The information, summarized by bus garage, included a broad array of data points such as length, average speed, average slope, number of blocks, block length, revenue hours/miles, and much more. This data was then input into a second calculator to select routes suitable for different types of BEBs (extended range or fast charge). Our team also developed evaluation criteria and performance metrics for the pilot program.