UB will be operating 11 new 25-passenger shuttles and 20 refurbished 39-passenger transit buses under a new 10-year transportation contract with WeDriveU, a non-UB-affiliated transportation provider, to transition into fully-electrified Stampede bus fleets.
The current transit buses — 2009/2010 models that were transported from California — used for the 2024-2025 academic year are temporary, and a new fleet is expected to arrive in fall 2025. The shuttles will remain for the next five to six years.
In an email to The Spectrum, Director of Parking and Transportation Chris Austin said that the transit and shuttle buses will have UB-branded wraps installed over the next 30-60 days to help the current, white vehicles be “recognizable as the ‘UB Stampede’ like the previous fleet.”
This comes a year after UB quietly abandoned its 2025 deadline for complete electrification of the Stampede as part of the ‘Zero Carbon Mobility Solution,’ one of ten goals outlined in the university’s Climate Action Plan. While the updated timeline remains unknown, UB plans to electrify 40% of the fleet over the next two years.
Hannah Rashad is the assistant news editor and can be reached at hannah.rashad@ubspectrum.com
Hannah Rashad is an assistant news editor.
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
