The drift velocity and the longitudinal diffusion coefficient of electrons in 0.206% and 1.98% ethane - argon mixtures and in pure ethane were measured in the E/N ranges 0.03 - 3 Td, 0.03 - 25 Td and 0.03 - 300 Td respectively. The measured swarm parameters in the mixtures were used to determine the essential vibrational excitation cross sections of the ethane molecule and those measured in pure ethane were used to derive the elastic momentum transfer cross section for the molecule in conjunction with the above derived vibrational cross sections. Consideration of realistic anisotropies of the electron scattering had little effect on electron swarm parameters.