In 2023, two transit agencies went shopping for new buses. Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) and the Cincinnati area’s Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) both bought 40-foot, diesel-powered vehicles from the same manufacturer. Although the vehicles were similar, their prices were not: RTD’s 10 buses cost $432,028 each, while SORTA’s 17 cost a whopping $939,388 a pop.
That same year, Singapore’s Land Transport Authority also bought buses. Their order called for 240 fully electric vehicles — which are typically twice as expensive as diesel ones in the US. List price: Just $333,000 each.