The City of San Luis Obispo held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday for the first of its new electric buses — bringing the city closer to its stated goal of carbon neutrality by 2035.
“This is a big step forward,” Alex Fuchs said, who is the city's mobility services business manager. “A big positive step forward for us with our climate action goals as well as our electrification throughout the entire city.”
It's San Luis Obispo's part in the state's 2018 Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) regulation, Fuchs said.
“This puts us on the path forward to zero-emission vehicles by 2040.”
The Innovative Clean Transit regulation is a statewide mandate adopted in 2018 that requires all public transit agencies to gradually move to a 100% zero-emission bus (ZEB) fleet with a goal of a full transition by 2040, according to the California Air Resources Board website.
“Transportation is the biggest cause of climate pollution in our community and riding the bus is a fun way to reduce your household emissions,” said Lucia Pohlman in a city press release, who is a sustainability and natural resources analyst for the city. “Now that we're transitioning to electric, bus riders will have an even bigger impact.”
The city will have eight total zero-emission buses by 2026. The buses are made by New Flyer Industries and are part of its Xcelsior CHARGE NG line.
The 40-foot buses have a range up of to 258 miles on a full charge and up to 40 seats, according to a company brochure, and are the “most advanced electric [buses] on the market," according to the company.
Fuchs said these buses will put the city by 2026 — when the full fleet of additional buses is anticipated to be delivered by — to roughly 45% of the way to the ICT’s 2040 mandate.
Starting in 2029, the regulation requires all new purchases by transit agencies to be zero-emission.
With the ICT regulation, California became the first state to mandate a shift to electric buses on public transit routes.
The California Air Resources Board estimates that full implementation of the ICT regulation will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 19 million metric tons from 2020 to 2050, which is equivalent to taking 4 million cars off the road, the board said.
The buses offer “numerous advantages,” according to a city press release in July announcing the ribbon-cutting ceremony, including “reduced greenhouse gas emissions, quieter operation, improved air quality and increased passenger comfort.”
Forty-seven transit systems nationwide use 40-foot battery-electric buses made by New Flyer Industries, including those in Orange County, San Diego and San Francisco, according to a list compiled by the Canadian Public Transit Discussion Board.
The city’s transit division, SLO Transit, offers eight fixed bus routes. The department is also offering a summer trolley service on Thursdays from 5 to 9 p.m.
View the city’s transit routes on its website.
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