MTA to test electric buses in New York City

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - The MTA will start testing electric buses in New York City in December 2017, the governor announced. The three-year pilot program will include 10 buses from two vendors.

The state hopes the results of the pilot will show the MTA and manufacturers of electric buses "what works best in New York's metropolitan environment" and whether such buses can "meet the rigors of operating in New York City," the governor's office said.

A vendor called Proterra will lease the MTA five buses that get charged overnight as well as the charging stations. These buses will operate on the B39 and B32 routes in Brooklyn.

The MTA hopes to lease five more buses from vendor New Flyer. These buses, which can charge en-route, will operate on the M42 route in Manhattan.