MTD Santa Barbara
Yesterday, October 16, 2023, Santa Barbara MTD celebrated the arrival of its first two 40-foot zero-emission battery-electric buses and the installation of 14 new heavy-duty vehicle chargers.
Event attendees included local elected officials, nonprofit leaders, and executives from the bus and charger manufacturers, and Southern California Edison.
While MTD has had smaller battery-electric buses in its fleet since the early 1990’s, this new bus delivery represents the first 40-foot zero-emission buses for the agency.
The first two buses out of an order of nine were unveiled today, with the rest to be delivered in the near future. In addition to the bus, a project to install 14 heavy-duty electric vehicle chargers was just completed with the help of the Southern California Edison Charge Ready Transport program. Funding for these two projects came from a variety of federal, state, local, and private sources.
It was also announced at the event that Santa Barbara MTD has been honored with an “Alternative Fuel Vehicle Leadership Award” from the United States Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Coalition. This national award recognized MTD for its many decades of pioneering leadership in the battery-electric transit space.
These buses and chargers are part of Santa Barbara MTD’s larger Next Wave project—a suite of capital and operating projects that advance MTD into a future where transit on the South Coast is convenient, clean, and competitive.
Wish the MTD would give more information. Or who builds them and where.
And how much per bus. How much per charger.
And ridership. Or cost per ride.
But “funding” is really funded by tax payers of future – by national debt.
Or just a pork barrel project in lipstick.
And wish these buses could be made with RR wheels and go on Amtrak lines for commutes.
Congratulations! Progress.