Federal Transit Administration Awards Nearly $55M for Low and No Emission Buses

PASADENA, CA--(Marketwired - Feb 6, 2015) - The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) this week announced awards to 10 project teams to deploy 55 low and no emission fuel cell, battery electric and electric hybrid buses in neighborhoods from Stockton, California to Canto, Ohio. 38 of the 55 will be either electric or fuel cell powered and produce zero tailpipe emissions.

"This critical FTA program will help spur the growth of the advanced tech bus industry in the United States, which is a crucial part of the effort to meet our national air quality and climate challenges," said CALSTART President and CEO John Boesel. "We are especially pleased to be working with three of the FTA awardees and helping to make zero buses competitive with existing diesel technology," he continued.

Newly established under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), the FTA's LoNo program focuses on deploying the cleanest and most energy-efficient U.S.-made transit buses designed to cut carbon pollution and other traditional pollutants. Grants from the LoNo program help transit agencies integrate more of these cutting-edge buses into their fleets.

The FTA provided a total of $54,469,249 in total for 10 projects nationwide. FTA received 50 project proposals requesting a total of $200 million. See the FTA's web site for more details: http://www.fta.dot.gov/grants/15926_16268.html

CALSTART will work with three partner transit agencies on projects totaling nearly $24 million. The organization will assist its partners by providing various consulting services, such as data collection, analysis, surveys, specification alignment, and transit bus acquisition services.

CALSTART partners awarded grants include the following projects:

• Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) will receive $8,877,405 to purchase and deploy five hydrogen fuel cell buses from the Integrated Product Team of Ballard Power Systems, BAE Systems, and ElDorado National. The agency will use the new zero-emission buses in a variety of operating conditions, including congested downtown streets, major urban roads and rural highways. SARTA provides more than 2.7 million rides per year throughout Stark County, Ohio, including servicing Canton, where the NFL Hall of Fame is located.
  
  
• SunLine Transit Agency will receive $9,803,860 to build and deploy five hydrogen electric hybrid fuel cell buses. BAE Systems, Ballard Power Systems and ElDorado National will team up to build the new zero-emission buses. This project will increase SunLine's current fleet of hydrogen electric hybrid fuel cell buses and allow the agency to offer expanded transit service in the Coachella Valley area of Southern California.
  
  
• San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) will receive $ 4,702,011 and purchase five Proterra battery-electric buses and a charging station. RTD, the transit provider for Stockton and San Joaquin County in California, plans to add the zero-emission buses and charging station to expand service and increase capacity at the Stockton Downtown Transit Center, which is the transfer point for nearly all of the RTD's routes. Under a previous grant from the California Energy Commission the RTD purchased its first two zero emission electric buses. 

About CALSTART
CALSTART and its 140+ member companies are dedicated to expanding and supporting a clean transportation industry that cleans the air, creates jobs and economic opportunities, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and secures our transportation energy future. For further information visit www.calstart.org