MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The public transit agency serving the Twin Cities is now using some buses powered by electricity.

Reports say Metro Transit's eight new electric buses began running Saturday.

Metro Transit spent weeks testing the buses making sure they can hold their electric charge along the C Line's 81/2-mile route that links downtown Minneapolis with Brooklyn Center through the city's north side.

Metro Transit plans to buy more electric buses in the next few years and eventually phase out diesel buses. The plan has drawn support from environmental groups, labor unions, and transit advocacy groups.

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