(Ames, Iowa) – There will be a new way for people to get around Ames this summer, and city leaders want the community’s help. Officials say two new electric buses will soon join CyRide’s bus fleet. The buses will run on battery and are funded by both a federal grant and a state fund. The buses should be delivered by the end of June. The clean vehicles were funded by the Federal Transit Administration Low- or No-Emission Grant program for $1.6 million and the Iowa Department of Transportation Volkswagen Settlement Environmental Mitigation Trust for $390,000.

The new buses will lower carbon emissions, control noise pollution, and reduce the operating costs of CyRide’s large bus fleet. Instead of an engine burning diesel fuel, these vehicles run from 564-kWh batteries, which could power a house for an entire month. These buses will look familiar as they are from the same manufacturer as CyRide’s articulated buses.

CyRide wants to draw attention to these unique buses while retaining many of the design elements and colors of the rest of the fleet. To help choose a new design, CyRide is asking Ames residents and Iowa State University students, faculty, and staff to help make the final decision on how these buses will look. To view all four sides of all three proposed designs, visit the CyRide site .