1

MEMO
Date: March 18,2022
To: Melanie Williams, Board Member
of HART

From: Giuseppi Ormaeche

Subject: Moving on from diesel buses to electric buses in HART

HART plays a key role for many citizens in the city of Tampa. It is important that HART continues to
provide public transportation for the people, but there needs to be a change in its fleet of buses. Diesel
buses have done more bad than good for the environment of our community, so there needs to be a
push for the integration of electric buses.

Background Information
This issue is an issue only because if there is no implantation of electric buses, then there is no progress
for a safer environment for the future citizens of Tampa. Diesel buses are being used across the state of
Florida, but many companies are beginning or have begun the transfer to electric buses. LYNX, a bus
system in Orlando, is working on multiple projects that will result in the acquisition of vehicles with
battery electric propulsion i. Electric buses are still a new emerging technology but are proven to be a
better alternative than diesel buses for the environment.

Without the implementation of electric buses, then many of those benefits are not received. New zero-
emission electric buses will make our air cleaner, which can make a big difference to the quality of life
for the people in our community ii. Research from many manufactures is showing that electric buses
produce significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions than diesel, diesel hybrid and natural gas-
powered buses iii. According to the University of South Florida parking and transportation, "replacing a
diesel bus with an electric bus reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 230,000 pounds annually, which is
equivalent to planting 5,000 trees” iv. Electric buses are a way that Tampa can become an eco-friendly
city. Electric buses are also a way to save costs for HART in the future. The buses can deliver financial
benefit from substantially reduced maintenance costs and reduced fuel costsv . Electric buses can also
bring significant societal benefits by avoiding healthcare expenses to citizens that are a result of the air
pollution created by diesel buses vi. These benefits can only become reality if electric bus talks begin in
HART.

HART using diesel bus would not be a problem if there was not a better alternative like the newer
electric buses.
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Explanation of the Problem at USF/In the Local Community

The main problem is diesel buses are and have negatively affected the environment and people of
Tampa. From my personal research, I asked random students in the USF Tampa campus if they have
used the HART transportation system and only 4% said they have. Many people are getting affected
even if they do not ride the bus so there needs to be a change. Disel pollution is known to cause health
problems for the people that live in the area. According to an article by the CDC, adult exposure to diesel
pollution contributes to 27,000 heart attacks, 14,500 hospitalizations and 2.4 million lost workdays each
year vii. It is known that a few of the health problems related to breathing polluted air in Tampa are an
increased instance of dry coughs, chest pain, and inflammation of the respiratory tract. An article from
IQAIR states it is usually brought on by inhaling chemical pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide or ozoneviii.
IQAIR also states that the air pollutant can make people more sustainable to pneumonia, bronchitis,
emphysema and aggravated forms of asthma, which all fall under the chronic obstructive respiratory
disease (COPD) ix. According to the New York Times, “Pollution from auto emissions has gone up 55
percent in the Tampa Bay area since 1990.”x This number will only continue to increase if HART does not
try to take away diesel buses on the roads of Tampa.

Causes of the Problem

The lack of government and agency assistance paired with not enough people in HART pushing for the
integration of electric buses is why the changes have not been made yet. I am writing to you, Melanie
Williams, because I believe you can help push the integration of electric buses in HART. I understand
that integrating electric buses into HART ‘s fleet is easier said than done, which is why I am writing to
you so you can help push the idea in HART’s board of members. Having no talks about electric buses and
not pushing a specific timeline to commit to a full transition to electric buses contributes to the problem
of not having electric buses. I will take a united push from HART to see changes happen. HART needs to
ask for the state of Florida to provide grants and subsidies for agencies to go electric. It will ensure HART
and the citizens of Tampa the benefits of electric buses without additional financial burdens. HART can
work with local utility companies to implement financing programs to help with the initial investment
for electric buses to pay back on utility bills as they save on fuel and maintenance costs. Committing to
the integration will help push other businesses to do the same, drive technological innovation from
suppliers, and enable transit agencies to gain the benefits of economies of scale in maintenance facilities
xi
.

Impacted Population
The residents of Tampa, Florida are being affected the most by HART’s diesel buses, even if they are not
riding the buses. If electric buses can be implemented in HART, it could eliminate diesel exhaust
emissions, particulate pollution and pollutants that contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone
and improve the air quality in our community. From my personal research, I asked random students in
the USF Tampa campus if they have seen any changes towards an eco-friendly environment in Tampa
and 78% of people said “yes”. From that 78% of people said “yes”, 91% of the people said those changes
have only been seen from people's personal electric vehicles, solar panels, and car charging station. The
final 9% of people mention the electric buses provided by USF for their students.

Conclusion
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If the conversation of implementing electric buses to HART does not happen now, then when will it
happen Melanie Williams? I ask you to act because the more time it takes to put electric buses on the
road, the more damage we will see by diesel buses to our environment and citizens. According to an
article by U.S. PIRG Education Fund, Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group,
“replacing all of the country’s diesel-powered transit buses with electric buses could eliminate more
than 2 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year xii.” The issue with that exciting quote is it will
take hundreds of transit systems across the country to come true. We, as the city of Tampa, must do our
part. I am asking you, Melanie Williams, to help push the idea of implementing electric buses into its
fleet, so that one day we can see improvement in our environment and that quote can come true.

If you spread the idea of electric buses in HART, I would love to hear what the rest of the board thinks. I
will provide you with my email if you need further information from me.

Giuseppi@memo.edu or at 813-123-4567
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References

i
1.Solodev. “Future Projects.” Public Transportation in Orange, Seminole & Osceola,
https://www.golynx.com/corporate-info/what-we-are-working-on/future-projects.stml.

ii
2. https://chargedevs.com/newswire/tampa-florida-secures-federal-grant-to-deploy-four-electric-
buses

iii
3. A report created by U.S. PIRG Education Fund, Environment America Research & Policy Center and
Frontier GroupWritten by Matt Casale. “Electric Buses in America.” Environment America,
https://environmentamerica.org/feature/ame/electric-buses-
america#:~:text=1.,and%20natural%20gas%2Dpowered%20buses.
iv
4. Florida, University of South. “USF Rolls out Its First Zero-Emission Electric Bus.” Welcome to the
University of South Florida, https://www.usf.edu/administrative-services/news/2021/2021-04-
usf-rolls-out-first-electric-bus.aspx.

v
5. A report created by U.S. PIRG Education Fund, Environment America Research & Policy Center and
Frontier GroupWritten by Matt Casale. “Electric Buses in America.” Environment America,
https://environmentamerica.org/feature/ame/electric-buses-
america#:~:text=1.,and%20natural%20gas%2Dpowered%20buses.
vi
6 . A report created by U.S. PIRG Education Fund, Environment America Research & Policy Center and
Frontier GroupWritten by Matt Casale. “Electric Buses in America.” Environment America,
https://environmentamerica.org/feature/ame/electric-buses-
america#:~:text=1.,and%20natural%20gas%2Dpowered%20buses.
vii
7.“Clean Diesel Bus Fleets.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, 5 Aug. 2016,
https://www.cdc.gov/policy/hst/hi5/cleandiesel/index.html#:~:text=Newer%20diesel%20engines
%20operate%20more,affect%20cardiovascular%20and%20respiratory%20health.

viii
8.“Tampa Air Quality Index (AQI) and Florida Air Pollution: Airvisual.” Tampa Air Quality Index (AQI)
and Florida Air Pollution | AirVisual, https://www.iqair.com/us/usa/florida/tampa.

ix
9.“Tampa Air Quality Index (AQI) and Florida Air Pollution: Airvisual.” Tampa Air Quality Index (AQI)
and Florida Air Pollution | AirVisual, https://www.iqair.com/us/usa/florida/tampa.
 5

x
10.Popovich, Nadja, and Denise Lu. “The Most Detailed Map of Auto Emissions in America.” The New
York Times, The New York Times, 10 Oct. 2019,
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/10/climate/driving-emissions-map.html.

xi
11. A report created by U.S. PIRG Education Fund, Environment America Research & Policy Center and
Frontier GroupWritten by Matt Casale. “Electric Buses in America.” Environment America,
https://environmentamerica.org/feature/ame/electric-buses-
america#:~:text=1.,and%20natural%20gas%2Dpowered%20buses.
xii
12. A report created by U.S. PIRG Education Fund, Environment America Research & Policy Center and
Frontier GroupWritten by Matt Casale. “Electric Buses in America.” Environment America,
https://environmentamerica.org/feature/ame/electric-buses-
america#:~:text=1.,and%20natural%20gas%2Dpowered%20buses.