L.A. Mayor Announces Largest Order of Electric Buses in U.S. History
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L.A. Mayor announces largest order of electric buses in US history
The first of 155 electric buses
purchased by Los Angeles will be delivered in March, city officials
said Thursday as they announced the largest order of such vehicles
ever placed by an American city.
“The clean transportation revolution
is not a distant dream, it’s happening on Los Angeles’ streets right
now,” L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a news conference. “Seeing
these zero-emission buses rolling down our roads in the years ahead
will bring us one step closer to realizing our vision of cleaner
air, lower emissions, healthier communities and a more sustainable
future for all Angelenos.”
“Cleaner air, less noise, more jobs,
what is not to love,” Garcetti said.
Most of the buses will come from Los
Angeles-based manufacturer BYD, while Bay Area bus company Proterra
will provide 25.
Garcetti made the announcement at the
Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s new bus maintenance yard.
The three-acre facility sports solar panel canopies and EV charging
infrastructure, and can hold up to 70 buses at a time.
“If we do not get off fossil fuels, we
are killing our kids and their planet,” L.A. Councilman Mike Bonin
said. “Fortunately, Los
Angeles has the ability to make a big impact in combating the
climate crisis. Moving to a fleet of electric buses is an important
step.”
Bonin said he, the mayor and the Los
Angeles County Electric Bus and Truck Coalition worked to make the
purchase happen.
Initially, Garcetti’s plan was for the
city’s bus fleet become zero-emission by 2030, however, he
accelerated the plan by two years in time for the 2028 Summer
Olympic and Paralympic games, which will be held in Los Angeles.
By this summer, the first 25 buses
will be in service and the remaining 130 will arrive in 2021, LADOT
officials said. Additionally, Angelenos can expect to see as many as
10,000 new electric vehicle chargers installed across the Southland
by 2022.
The city’s entire fleet totals 370
buses, so the city must still purchase additional zero-emission
buses to fulfill the mayor’s 2028 goal.
“Los Angeles is making a bold
investment in a clean transportation future,” LADOT General Manager
Seleta Reynolds said. “These 155 buses will save the city money on
fuel costs and improve air quality and health for families across
the region we serve.”
“We see how much this matters,” she
said. “It matters to my two daughters, it matters to me. It matters
to all of the people who live, who work and need to thrive in this
city.”
The bus purchase was funded by a
series of federal and state grants as well as matching city funds.
It cost the city $104 million to purchase 155 buses. The city has a
remaining $23 million in grant money to purchase additional buses.
City News Service contributed to this story. |
