Port Authority's airport buses going electric ahead of schedule

The airport bus fleet at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is halfway to being fully electric.

The recent addition of six new buses at LaGuardia Airport brings the total of electric buses to 18, according to an announcement from the bi-state agency this week.

"The conversion to all-electric airport shuttle buses is running ahead of schedule — a testament to our commitment to reducing (greenhouse gas) emissions across all of our facilities," Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said in a statement. "The Port Authority continues to push for results that will make the spirit of the Paris agreement a reality for the agency and our customers."

The agency has a total of 36 shuttle buses at its largest airports — Newark International Airport, LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International — and expects them all to be converted to the greener versions by mid-2020.

Each new bus, which is manufactured by Proterra, costs $900,000, and has a driving range of about 250 miles on a charge. Some of the buses purchased for JFK cost closer to $750,000 because of rebates offered through the New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program.

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The agency's other airports, Teterboro and Stewart, don't typically use shuttle buses, except for certain flights at Stewart.

In June, the agency's airports were recognized by Airports Council International for their carbon-cutting efforts, decreasing their carbon dioxide generation 11% between 2014 and 2016.