Roseville Transit was recently awarded grant funding for $11.5 million from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to electrify the existing clean diesel and gas-powered buses to a zero-emission standard. The funding will allow for the purchase of seven commuter electric buses, eight electric on-demand buses to replace existing vehicles, and necessary charging equipment and construction costs to charge the fleet.
Roseville was one of 19 California agencies that received funding for the program, with nearly the entire requested amount being granted. The funding approval will pay for 85 percent of the vehicles and 90 percent of the charging infrastructure, with the remaining amount coming from local transportation funds. In 2018, California announced that transit fleets must be converted to zero-emission vehicles by 2040 as mandated by the California Air Resources Board. As part of the same mandate, by 2029 all future bus purchases in California are required to be zero-emission.
The switch from clean diesel to fully-electric buses will lower fuel and maintenance costs and allow the electricity to be supplied by Roseville Electric Utility. Furthermore, the battery-powered buses will reduce emissions and improve the region’s air quality and bolster transit as a smart growth approach to alternative transportation.
Roseville Transit will use the new fleet to improve access and mobility throughout the City as well as connecting with neighboring communities in Placer and Sacramento Counties.
The City is partnering with Proterra and Optimal-EV, two companies that are leading producers of zero-emission electric transit vehicles.
Learn more about Roseville Transit by visiting roseville.ca.us/transit.