NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee officials are using $5.7 million from the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal settlement for transit bus replacements in three cities.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation announced Wednesday that the funding will go to the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority, Knoxville Area Transit and Memphis Area Transit Authority. Chattanooga and Memphis will each replace three diesel buses with three electric ones, while Knoxville will switch three diesel buses for three diesel-hybrid models.
In 2019, the department awarded $8.4 million from the VW settlement for school bus replacement across Tennessee. The department says it will announce future funding programs under the settlement trust.
In the 2015 diesel scandal, Volkswagen was caught using software to cheat on emissions testing.