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MDOT & MTA Hosts Battery Electric Bus Familiarization Pilot

Posted September 2023

Instructor Laszlo Juhasz examining the charge port with the group

 

ITLC’s James Hall and Brandon Liu, joined by instructor and long-time ITLC subject matter expert Frank Burnett, traveled to Baltimore in August to observe the delivery of a Battery Electric Bus (BEB) Familiarization Course pilot at the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) Kirk Maintenance Facility. Five participants were in attendance, consisting of a mixture of A-repairmen instructors from the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1300, the bus maintenance training liaison, and a zero-emission consultant from Omni Strategy LLC. The course, developed through ITLC’s Transit Workforce Center (TWC), covered the recommended two-day course period, with a mix of classroom delivery, at-bus exercises, and demonstrations. This pilot session aimed at finalizing a course review so that agencies across the country can access and use it to support workforce transition to BEBs. TWC thanks MDOT and MTA along with all the other agencies involved that have provided the opportunity to test and fine-tune this course.