Electric Buses Could Be Heading to Northwest Florida

One of Sunshine Shuttle’s BYD electric buses Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. — Sunshine Shuttle and Limousine has announced plans to bring alternative energy multi-passenger vehicles to NW Florida. The company is working with Build Your Dreams (BYD), a manufacturer of zero-emission passenger vehicles. Thanks to its technology, U.S. companies using BYD vehicles have saved a combined 27,000,000 gallons of fuel. In addition to the fuel, those savings hint at the daily wear and tear on infrastructure due to a decrease in passenger vehicles on the road.

“Take a look at Hwy 98 these days,” said John Finch, CEO of Sunshine Shuttle & Limousine. “Hurricane Michael brought hundreds of contractors commuting back and forth to Panama City everyday. You think traffic is bad now? This will be the new normal if we don’t get our priorities straight. We see this every summer, and there are no signs of it letting up.”

Finch hopes to bring BYD’s technology and vehicles to Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, and Bay Counties.

“I invite all business and government leaders to come see this new vehicle and get a glimpse of NW Florida’s future,” added Finch. “Think of the savings to the state in fuel costs. This is not a pipe dream. Our partner, BYD, is the global leader in battery-electric passenger vehicles, with more than 35,000 buses in service across 200 cities, 50 countries, and six continents.”

In a press release touting California’s new Lancaster plant, Stella Li, president of BYD, said, “We’re proud of our BYD North America team, working every day to produce quality electric transportation that will provide a cleaner environment around the nation. Our model proves that going green can be good for the economy, good for workers, and good for America.”

Added Finch, “The time is right to get moving on this concept. The crowds keep coming and we’re doing nothing about it. The reality is, if we don’t adapt soon, other destinations will, and NW Florida will become like the old Yogi Berra joke, ‘Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded’.”

Visit sunshineshuttle.com for more information.

[CD1118]