Vermont’s $8.1 million electric bus fleet sits idle in the snow, a monument to federal green energy overreach that ignored basic winter realities, leaving taxpayers stranded with useless vehicles and cut transit services.
Story Snapshot
- Five electric buses purchased with $6.7 million in federal grants are completely out of service due to battery fire recall and cold weather charging restrictions.
- Green Mountain Transit cannot charge the buses below 41°F, rendering them useless during Vermont winters that regularly drop well below freezing.
- Transit agency operates on razor-thin diesel backups with route cuts, undermining the entire purpose of the costly green initiative.
- General Manager admits they never would have purchased buses with cold-weather restrictions, exposing federal oversight failures in the push for electrification.
Federal Dollars Fund Impractical Green Dream
Green Mountain Transit acquired five New Flyer electric buses in mid-2024 for $8.1 million, with federal taxpayers footing $6.7 million through Low/No Emissions Grants. GMT contributed only $1.1 million, giving the transit agency minimal financial stake in due diligence. The buses featured 520 kWh batteries touting a 258-mile range under ideal conditions, powered by renewable electricity at Burlington’s garage. Vermont’s aggressive clean energy mandates drove the purchase, aligning with the Biden administration’s $8 billion push for electric transit nationwide. This minimal local investment exemplifies how federal grant structures incentivize adoption without adequate assessment of real-world operational challenges in harsh climates.
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Battery Recall and Cold Weather Reality Halt Operations
All five buses were pulled from service in November 2025 after the battery manufacturer issued a fire risk recall, forcing outdoor storage as a safety precaution. The manufacturer then imposed new charging guidance requiring temperatures above 41°F, a restriction GMT General Manager Clayton Clark stated was never disclosed at purchase. Vermont winters routinely plunge well below freezing, with the state averaging 150 inches of annual snowfall and extended sub-zero periods. Clark told Fox News the agency never would have bought buses with such requirements in Vermont’s climate. The buses now sit snow-covered and inoperable, unable to charge during the critical winter months when public transit demand peaks for residents without vehicles.
Service Cuts and Diesel Dependency Strain Agency
GMT has cut multiple transit runs, forced to rely entirely on aging diesel buses operating with no margin for mechanical failures. Clark described the situation as being “down to our last bus,” a precarious position for communities depending on public transportation across Vermont’s hilly, rural terrain. The agency’s tagline “Getting you where you need to go” rings hollow as riders face reduced service and uncertain schedules. Burlington Electric Department contributed $275,000 specifically for renewable charging infrastructure, now sitting idle while diesel engines burn through budgets. This operational collapse demonstrates how green energy mandates can backfire spectacularly, leaving vulnerable populations with worse service than before the expensive upgrades.
Taxpayer Investment Yields Zero Returns
Each bus cost approximately $1.6 million, yet delivers zero operational value while maintenance and storage costs continue accumulating. Vermont taxpayers and transit riders bear the consequences of federal officials prioritizing political climate goals over practical functionality. The situation mirrors Minnesota’s biodiesel mandate failures, where cold weather caused fuel gelling and forced schools to idle buses for heating, actually increasing emissions. Energy policy expert Daniel Turner of Power the Future cited Vermont as a textbook example of federal oversight failures, noting that cold weather impacts on EV battery charging were well-documented before these purchases. As of February 2026, no timeline exists for returning the buses to service, and GMT faces potential losses on resale or grant repayment obligations.
Federal EV Push Faces Growing Scrutiny
The Vermont debacle fuels broader concerns about the previous administration’s aggressive electric vehicle mandates for public transit. Arctic conditions across New York and New England during January 2026 exposed similar battery degradation issues in EV bus fleets nationwide, revealing systemic problems with cold-climate electrification. Conservative analysts view these failures as predictable outcomes of ideology-driven policy ignoring engineering realities and regional climate variations. The federal government’s $8 billion commitment to electric buses under Biden-era programs now faces rightful questions about taxpayer value and real-world viability. GMT’s experience underscores the dangers of one-size-fits-all federal mandates that override local knowledge and common-sense assessments of what technologies actually work in specific environments.
Sources:
5 GMT E-buses, bought for $8 million, out of service due to fire risk, frigid weather
Arctic blast fuels scrutiny of Biden’s $8B electric bus push; watchdogs cite oversight failures
What Does it Take to Bring Electric Buses to School Districts and Transit Agencies in Cold Climates?
