Dive Brief:
- The Federal Transit Administration announced Tuesday approximately $1.1 billion in grants under the low- and no-emission bus program and about $390 million in grants for transit buses and bus facilities.
- The grants will fund projects in 117 communities across 47 states, the FTA said in a press release.
- About 80% of the bus purchases supported by this round of grants will be powered by zero-emission or low-emission technology, FTA said.
Dive Insight:
Many U.S. transit agencies have begun upgrading their bus fleets to battery electric- or fuel cell-powered vehicles. The Anaheim, California, Transportation Network aims be one of the first transit agencies in the state to completely electrify its bus fleet; several transit agencies in Washington state have invested in electric buses using wireless on-the-road charging.
“In my district, this funding enables Island Transit to purchase clean buses and fueling infrastructure for its fleet,” said U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., in a statement. Last year, Island Transit’s board of directors approved a plan to decarbonize it bus fleet by 2035.
Ali Zaidi, White House national climate advisor, said in a statement that “by modernizing transit with improved clean energy technologies, we will also boost the longevity of our mass transportation system, reduce traffic congestion, and clean up the air we breathe in the neighborhoods and communities that line our roads and highways.”
New Jersey Transit said its $99.5 million grant will modernize a 31-year-old bus garage to initially charge 67 electric buses, including construction of an outdoor charging facility. “In the most densely populated state in the country, it is critical that we keep our people moving while still leading the nation with bold environmental goals,” said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy in a press release. The initial project also will provide the infrastructure to later expand the site to serve up to 130 electric buses.
Other grants went to the Sacramento Regional Transportation District for the purchase of up to 29 hydrogen fuel cell buses; the Detroit Department of Transportation for hybrid electric buses and fuel cell buses; and the Central Ohio Transit Authority for battery electric buses and fuel cell buses. Orders for fuel cell buses grew more than 75% last year, according to Calstart, a nonprofit advocacy group for clean transportation technologies.
The zero-emission bus grants include training for bus drivers and maintenance workers, the FTA said.
