LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority received its first zero-emission electric bus today, to be deployed on the Metro Orange Line later this year.
“These zero-emission buses ... will provide reliable service while also reducing the agency's carbon footprint,” said James Butts, the mayor of Inglewood and the chair of the Metro Board of Directors. “This is a win-win for our riders, our communities and the environment.”
The 60-foot bus is manufactured by New Flyer and uses some of the latest technologies, according to Metro officials. It is the first of 40 electric buses from New Flyer that will be arriving over the next year.
The Orange Line will be the first line to receive the electric buses, which cost $1.15 million each in a contract valued at just over $80 million.
The contract includes the deployment of the electric buses and associated charging infrastructure, with recharging stations at various points along the line to support.
The Metro Board in 2017 unanimously adopted a plan to transition the agency to a 100 percent zero-emission bus fleet by 2030. The plan is must seek continuous advancements in electric bus technology and cost effectiveness.
Metro also ordered an additional 65 zero-emission electric buses, most of which will be used on the Silver Line that operates between the El Monte Bus Station and the Harbor Gateway Transit Center in Gardena. Metro plans convert the Silver Line to zero-emission buses in 2021.
Photo: Metro