FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 28, 2024
City of Charlottesville to host GILLIG and Sonny Merryman for Battery Electric Bus Demonstrations
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – Battery electric bus manufacturers GILLIG and Sonny Merryman will be in Charlottesville on Wednesday, April 3rd and Thursday, April 4th to demonstrate their offerings, providing valuable insights into the performance, environmental impact, customization options, reliability, and customer support. This will help our transit agency, Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT), make an informed decision about our fleet modernization efforts and further our commitment to climate action.
Representatives from the electric bus manufacturers will be on site at CAT to answer questions that attendees may have. The City of Charlottesville has invited City Council, UVA, Charlottesville City Schools, and various local environmental advocacy groups to join the demonstration on Wednesday, April 3rd. CAT employees will have the chance to dive deeper into the discussion with their own demonstration session on Thursday, April 4th.
GILLIG will provide an electric transit bus and Sonny Merryman will provide an electric school bus for the demonstration.
“We are excited to start testing our options because we’re in the process of making an informed decision to buy two electric buses to answer the request of City Council and further our climate action goals,” said Director of Transit, Garland Williams. He added, “This is a great first step, but the community needs to understand that there is still a lot of work to be done to create the infrastructure needed to make it happen. We’re still at least two years out.”
The City of Charlottesville will be the first city in the Piedmont Region to acquire electric transit buses.
Please note that this event is invite-only and not open to the public.
Media Contact:
Afton Schneider
Director of Communications & Public Engagement
City of Charlottesville
schneidera@charlottesville.gov
434-996-0331