Monterey-Salinas Transit is proud to unveil its first ever Zero Emissions Bus Rollout Plan aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality in the region by transitioning its public transit bus fleet to zero-emission buses. The groundbreaking Plan represents a significant financial and political commitment to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in our community. Transit riders already contribute to protecting our environment by reducing the number of vehicles on roadways, and with implementation of this Plan, the buses themselves will further support our goal of reducing harmful emissions into the air we breathe.
The Plan recognizes a significant and unfunded financial investment of between $71M to $107M over 19 years to fully implement. This unfunded investment includes Zero Emissions Buses (ZEBs), equipment, and charging/fueling infrastructure. MST will continue securing grants and seeking other funding opportunities to support MST’s future investments in ZEB infrastructure and ZEB vehicle purchases. MST has already invested in 5 ZEBs, representing 6% of its existing fleet of 86 heavy-duty diesel-powered buses.
In 2018, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted the Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) regulation, which requires all bus fleets to be converted to zero-emissions by 2040. As part of this mandate, small transit operators must submit a zero-emission bus rollout plan to CARB by July 2023. MST’s Plan will be submitted to the Air Resources Board 18 months ahead of schedule. Additionally, in June of this year, MST transitioned from using traditional diesel fuel to using renewable diesel – a requirement of the ICT regulation for large transit operators. MST is considered a small transit operator and converting to renewable diesel is not a requirement of the ICT regulation; however, switching to renewable diesel further reduces MST’s carbon footprint.
“Transitioning our public transit bus fleet is a massive investment and will take federal and state funding partners to accomplish,” said Carl Sedoryk, General Manager/CEO of MST. “However, zero-emissions buses are getting better in terms of range and cost and having an approved plan will provide MST with a competitive advantage when applying for new state and federal funding programs that support investments in zero-emission technologies.”
For more information, visit www.mst.org or call Monterey-Salinas Transit toll free at 1‑888‑MST‑BUS1 (1‑888‑678‑2871). For RealTime bus arrival information, text “Next” and your four-digit bus stop ID (example, “Next 9103”) to 25370, call 1‑888‑MST‑BUS1 with your four-digit bus stop ID, download the free Transit app, or use Google Maps. Follow MST on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mst_bus for the latest service alerts.
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