CHARLOTTE — They once were touted as the future. Now they are the past. In 2019, the city celebrated the launch of 5 Proterra buses to run at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. Officials predicted the buses would have a life cycle of 12 years. They didn’t last 5.
Earlier this month, the city auctioned off 4 Proterra buses.
Two of the buses up for auction have written on their windshields, “will not start.”
Proterra declared bankruptcy in 2023. Since then, cities across the country have been dealing with the fallout.
Rock Hill purchased 10 Proterra buses in 2019. But after the company declared bankruptcy, the city struggled finding parts to repair them and reliability in their transit service decreased. At one point last month, only two of the buses were in service. The city has had to eliminate the downtown loop route as a result.
In Asheville, three of the five Proterra buses purchased by the city are out of commission. The other two have issues like not being able to travel far when it is cold.
As for Charlotte, the airport spent more than $4 million on the buses in 2019. A spokesperson for the airport says CLT made the decision to retire and auction off its Proterra electric buses after the company went out of business.
“With parts no longer available, the buses could not be maintained in a condition that met our safety standards for transporting passengers,” a spokesperson for the airport said.
The airport continues to invest in electric buses, just with a different company. A spokesperson for the airport says 25 buses are currently in circulation.
A representative for Rogers Realty & Auction Co did not respond to multiple inquiries asking if the four Proterra buses sold at auction. A city of Charlotte spokesperson is researching the inquiry.
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