Surprise! First BC Transit Electric Buses Go Into Service

Broome County has started using its first battery electric buses on regular BC Transit routes.

The buses arrived at the bus system's base on Old Mill Road in Vestal in July. They were driven cross-country from California, where they were manufactured by Gillig.

Behind the wheel of a BC Transit battery electric bus on September 18, 2025. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

Over the last several weeks, the six buses underwent post-delivery inspections and final preparations before they were placed in service.

Without any fanfare, the electric buses began making the rounds on Binghamton-area streets this week.

The new electric buses have 37 seats and room for two passengers using wheelchairs. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

Drivers who've operated the "next-generation" vehicles like them. BC Transit riders in downtown Binghamton were happy to see the brand new vehicles were now in operation.

Six 180-kilowatt chargers now are in place at the Vestal BC Transit complex.

Broome County's new battery electric buses will use these Heliox Flex Chargers. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

Seven more battery electric buses are expected to be added to the Broome County fleet in the next year or so.

Each battery electric bus and its charger cost $1.3 million. That compares to $800,000 for a hybrid electric bus and $600,000 for a diesel bus.

The county's original plan called for the first electric buses to go into service in October 2023. Those vehicles were to have been produced by Nova Bus in Plattsburgh but the company decided to end operations in the United States.

WNBF NEWS VIDEO: A Gillig bus at the BC Junction transfer point on Prospect Avenue in Binghamton on September 18, 2025.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or call (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

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Source: Surprise! First BC Transit Electric Buses Go Into Service