San Mateo County Transit (Sam Trans) has awarded New Flyer a contract for 108 zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell-electric Xcelsior CHARGE FC 40-foot transit buses.
SamTrans provides transportation services in San Mateo County, extending its reach to San Francisco and Palo Alto, California, delivering close to nine million bus rides across an extensive network of 74 bus routes.
This investment in fuel cell-electric buses accelerates SamTrans’ journey towards net-zero and is made possible through combined funding from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), California’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) vouchers, and local funds.
These hydrogen buses will replace SamTrans’ diesel buses and support the agency’s transition to a zero-emission fleet to meet sustainability targets defined by the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB’s) Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) regulation, requiring agencies to transition bus fleets to 100% zero-emission by 2040. This purchase will also help SamTrans to meet the U.S. greenhouse gas emissions targets of 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030.
“Our partnership with SamTrans spans nearly 35 years,” said Chris Stoddart, President, North American Bus and Coach, NFI. “During that time, New Flyer has delivered more than 175 buses, 27 of which were zero-emission. The technology advancements included in this next-generation vehicle will drive a high level of performance while delivering a reduction in environmental impact and improvements to air quality for the community.”
“Our zero-emission fleet demonstrates SamTrans’ commitment towards reducing the impact of transportation on air quality and our climate by reducing greenhouse gases in our communities, which further supports our mission to provide safe, equitable and sustainable transportation for our riders,” said Tasha Bartholomew, Communications Manager, SamTrans.
NFI, which owns New Flyer, has electric vehicles operating (or on order) in more than 150 cities in six countries. NFI offers the widest range of zero-emission battery and fuel cell-electric buses and coaches, and its vehicles have completed more than 195 million EV service miles.
