News 9 reports that Oklahoma City tour guide Sarah Horton bought two electric buses from a manufacturer in China to make her walking tours more accessible. The buses remain at the Port of Los Angeles as she faces an import bill of roughly $103,000 — far above the amount she had budgeted.
According to News 9, antidumping and countervailing duties on the buses total 478%. Horton told the station, “We budgeted for a 35% import tariff, approximately $6,500.” The difference has left the buses at the port while she considers how to proceed.
News 9 reports that storage is expected to cost another $500 a day. Horton is seeking about $90,000 in donations and working with her customs broker to assess her options, the station reports. If she cannot bring the buses to Oklahoma City, the funds would instead go toward legal services, fees, storage, shipping and restocking costs.
A Tour Business Looking to Expand
News 9 reports that Horton founded Explore OKC two years ago, building the business around a three-mile walking tour through downtown that has attracted visitors from 40 states and 18 countries. A separate KFOR report says visitors already take a trolley between some stops, indicating that the planned buses would add to an existing mix of ways to get around the tour.
Oklahoma City’s Existing Accessible Transit
Separate from Horton’s tour operation, EMBARK says its PLUS program provides lift-equipped van service within Oklahoma City to eligible people who cannot functionally use fixed-route buses because of a disabling condition.
News 9 reports that Horton has described introducing visitors to Oklahoma City as a privilege and named Myriad Gardens as her favorite park in the city. Her business is rooted in showing visitors the city on foot, while the buses were intended to broaden how guests could take part in the tours.
An Overseas Sale Is Another Possibility
News 9 reports that Horton is considering finding a buyer in the Pacific region to limit her losses and keep Explore OKC running. Bringing the buses to Oklahoma City is not the only option she is weighing.
The scale of the tariffs tracks with a broader federal trade action. The U.S. Department of Commerce announced final affirmative determinations on June 17, 2025, in antidumping and countervailing duty investigations covering low-speed personal transportation vehicles from China. A related notice in the Federal Register, dated August 12, 2025, confirmed Commerce was issuing antidumping and countervailing duty orders on certain low-speed personal transportation vehicles from China. Whether Horton's specific buses fall within the scope of those orders isn't something the available records establish, but the episode underscores how unfamiliar trade rules can upend a small operator's budget overnight.
For now, Horton's two buses remain parked at the California port, and her next move hinges on whichever option — raising the money, finding a buyer overseas, or something else entirely — proves cheaper than letting the storage fees keep climbing.
