The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has unanimously approved the Innovative Clean Transit regulation, mandating that all public buses are all-electric, and zero-emission by 2040. The ruling by CARB will require large transit agencies to submit compliance plans in 2020, with smaller agencies submitting plans in 2023. By 2029 all new purchases must be zero-emission, and by 2040 all other buses must be removed from the road.
“A zero-emission public bus fleet means cleaner air for all of us. It dramatically reduces tailpipe pollution from buses in low-income communities and provides multiple benefits especially for transit-dependent riders,” CARB Chair Mary D. Nichols noted in CARB’s press release. “Putting more zero-emission buses on our roads will also reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gases, and provides cost savings for transit agencies in the long run.”
The expected impacts are significant; by 2050 this regulation is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 19 million metric tons, the equivalent of removing 4 million cars from the road. The move will also reduce nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions, particularly in low-income areas that rely on public transit. Finally, California’s transit agencies are expected to save $1.5 billion in maintenance and fuel costs by 2050.
For additional information please see the California Air Resources Board, 2018 Press Release:https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/news/california-transitioning-all-electric-public-bus-fleet-2040