Dive Brief:
- Transit agencies in the U.S. continued to add zero-emission buses to their fleets in 2024, according to Calstart’s annual report, issued March 11.
- The national clean transportation advocacy group found that the number of full-size zero-emission transit buses grew 14% from its 2023 report, to a total of 7,026 vehicles funded, ordered, delivered or on the road as of July 2024.
- Nearly half of all buses funded by the Federal Transit Administration’s Low or No Emission Grant Program and the Grants for Bus and Bus Facilities Program went to procure zero-emission buses.
Dive Insight:
The number of 30-foot or longer transit buses, which are considered full size, grew in the U.S. from a little over 2,000 in 2019 to more than 7,000 in 2024. Calstart projects that U.S. transit agencies will have over 15,000 such buses in their fleets by 2030.
California and New York lead the nation in the number of zero-emission buses, followed by Florida, Washington state and Massachusetts. The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, with 545 zero-emission buses, has the largest zero-emission fleet of any U.S. transit agency. California’s Clean Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project and New York’s Truck Voucher Incentive Program have helped accelerate adoption in those states by offsetting the higher cost of zero-emission vehicles.
“The continued growth of zero-emission transit buses in the United States reflects the commitment of transit agencies to cleaner, more sustainable transportation,” Mike Hynes, deputy director for transit at Calstart, said in a statement.
Fuel-cell electric buses grew 55% over the 2023 count, following a 75% increase in the previous year’s report. However, battery-electric buses remain the leading option for the nation’s transit agencies, according to the report.
The FTA’s Low and No Emission Program was created in the 2021 infrastructure law to provide up to $5.25 billion in funding for low- or zero-emission buses, but continued support is unclear, Calstart said. This week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy rescinded Biden-era policies that include environmental factors in decision-making for infrastructure grants. Hynes warned that “It is only with strong federal and state support that we can build on this momentum and continue.”
