Nearly half of UB Stampede fleet now electric

Eight new battery-electric buses are now carrying students, faculty, staff and visitors across UB’s campuses, marking a key milestone in the university’s transition to a zero-emission Stampede fleet.

UB, transportation provider WeDriveU and fleet electrification specialist Zenobē celebrated the arrival of the buses with students and local officials during a ribbon-cutting event on Monday (Aug. 31).

The eight 40-foot buses are the first UB Stampede vehicles to transition away from diesel power and are already in regular service as part of a transit system that carries approximately 16,000 passengers each day.

The university plans to continue phasing diesel buses out of the Stampede fleet over the next four years, aligning with the university’s transition of all fleet vehicles to electric under the updated UB Climate Action Policy. Ten chargers have been installed at the Stampede depot to support the transition.

“Our goal is to provide safe, reliable transportation while continuing to reduce our environmental impact,” says Christopher Austin, UB director of Parking and Transportation Services and CAPtain of the Zero Carbon Mobility Climate Action Committee. “These buses help us do both. They improve the rider experience today and represent another investment in the future of mobility at UB.”

The electric-bus project has been in development since UB selected WeDriveU to manage campus transportation in June 2024. WeDriveU worked with Zenobē on the fleet electrification project, including the charging infrastructure and operational support needed to put the new buses into service.

The buses are the first phase of a broader transformation of UB’s campus transportation system.

Moving the Stampede away from diesel is also one component of UB’s broader effort to reduce the university’s greenhouse gas emissions at their source.

The transition is part of UB’s Climate Action Plan, known as 10 in 10, the university’s roadmap toward a zero-emissions campus by 2030. The timeline for transitioning the Stampede fleet puts UB well ahead of New York State’s 2045 deadline for state-operated heavy-duty vehicles to become zero-emission.

The buses arrive just months after UB announced another major sustainability milestone. On Earth Day, UB announced it had achieved carbon neutrality for the Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions it directly controls — reaching that goal five years ahead of schedule.

Since 2007, UB has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 66% through a combination of energy-efficiency and decarbonization projects. The university now generates and purchases 100% of its electricity from clean sources and has developed clean-energy master plans to transition fossil-fuel heating systems across the North, South and Downtown campuses.

Transportation is an important part of that next phase. Fuel consumed by university vehicles contributes to UB’s directly controlled emissions, meaning replacing diesel-powered vehicles with electric alternatives can reduce emissions at the source rather than relying on measures to offset them.

The transition of the Stampede fleet is expected to avoid 5,984 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, representing a 55.6% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with diesel-powered service. That reduction is equivalent to removing approximately 1,395 cars from the road. The electric buses will also eliminate nitrogen oxide emissions from the buses, reducing NOx emissions by 100%.

UB is pursuing that transition beyond the Stampede fleet, as well. Nearly all new university vehicles purchased are slated to be electric, and the university has more than 40 charging ports supporting university-owned vehicles.

With thousands of passengers boarding Stampede buses every day, the eight new electric buses make that broader sustainability work especially visible to the campus community.