Sonoma County Transit Brings Zero-Emission Fleet to 18 Buses, Opens Charging Facility
Seven new 40-foot electric buses and a new charging station with backup generation capacity went into service at the agency's Santa Rosa base.
Source: Sonoma County ↗
Seven new 40-foot electric buses have pushed Sonoma County Transit’s zero-emission fleet to 18 vehicles in service, and the agency will mark the milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new charging facility on Oct. 26 at its Santa Rosa base.
The event runs from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 355 W. Robles Ave. and is open to the public. Scheduled speakers include Board of Supervisors Chair Rebecca Hermosillo, County Executive David Guhin and James Cameron of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority.
The charging infrastructure includes backup generation capacity to keep buses energized during power outages, giving the agency a resource for evacuation operations of the kind it carried out during the 2017 and 2019 wildfire emergencies.
“This charging system gives us the capacity to support the 18 zero-emission buses now in service and expand the electric fleet over time,” said Emily Betts, transit manager for Sonoma County Transit. “It provides the infrastructure our team needs to manage charging efficiently and prepare more electric buses for service across the county.”
More buses are planned as the county works toward electrifying most of its heavy-duty transit fleet by 2030.
Rebecca Hermosillo, chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, said the investment would reduce emissions while strengthening the agency’s ability to serve riders daily and in emergencies.
The buses and charging equipment were financed through a mix of local, state and federal sources, including Federal Transit Administration Sections 5307 and 5339 formula funds; Caltrans’ Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program and Low Carbon Transit Operations Program; the California Air Resources Board’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project; Transportation Fund for Clean Air dollars administered by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the Sonoma County Transportation Authority; and Transportation Development Act funds.
Sonoma County Transit serves the region through 19 local and intercity routes and offers door-to-door paratransit for eligible riders with disabilities. All local routes are fare-free, and riders 18 and younger, college students with valid identification and veterans travel intercity routes at no cost.
