Sustainable & Connected: Big Blue Bus awarded $53.3 million to accelerate fleet electrification, service enhancements, and workforce development
October 24, 2024 5:47 PM
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Oct. 24, 2024) - The
California State Transportation Agency announced Wednesday that the City of Santa
Monica's Big Blue Bus will receive a $53.3 million grant through its Transit
and Intercity Rail Capital Program, or TIRCP.
The funding will support the following initiatives, enabling Big Blue Bus to meet statewide greenhouse gas reduction goals and advance Santa Monica’s commitment to a Sustainable & Connected community:
- Completed the phased implementation of an electrification master plan ($35,534,149)
- Enable the purchase of 73 battery electric buses ($17,340,129)
- Provide workforce development to operate infrastructure improvements ($406,405)
“We are thrilled that the state is investing in our project to expand Big Blue Bus service and complete our conversion to a 100 percent battery electric, zero-emissions fleet," Santa Monica DOT Director Anuj Gupta said. "This funding will enhance our ability to deliver sustainable transit service--reducing emissions and congestion, and connecting our community to opportunity."
Approximately $35.5 million in TIRCP funds will be allocated to fully implement Big Blue Bus’s Fleet Electrification Master Plan, a detailed seven-phase strategy for transitioning from a renewable natural gas fleet to a 100 percent zero-emissions fleet by 2031. The plan involves implementing electric utility and charging equipment upgrades at Big Blue Bus's depot, which includes constructing a large canopy equipped with overhead reel charging dispensers that can fully charge an electric bus in about four hours.
Big Blue Bus will use $17.3 million to purchase 73 zero-emission battery electric buses, replacing compressed natural gas vehicles that have surpassed their useful life. The new buses will be ADA accessible, have approximately 40 seats, and feature new bicycle racks capable of holding up to three bicycles.
More than $400,000 will be directed toward workforce development to ensure staff are well trained in operating and maintaining the new buses. Big Blue Bus will provide over 1,100 hours of advanced, high-voltage safety training for its staff in partnership with the California Transit Training Consortium.
Big Blue Bus will also use grant funds to improve Route 2 service on Wilshire Boulevard, connecting the route to L.A. County Metro’s D Line at two stations, once the rail line is fully extended to the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 2027. That same year, the agency will add more than 12,350 service hours to the route and increase trip frequency from every 20 minutes to every 10 minutes.
“These funds will deliver tangible improvements for Big Blue Bus riders, enhance the social and economic well-being of the communities we serve, and provide a world-class transit experience for major regional events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Gupta said.
Twenty-seven transit agencies were awarded funding in TIRCP Cycle 7; the program offers grants to support innovative capital improvement projects that help California transit systems significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, vehicle miles traveled, and traffic congestion. Big Blue Bus received 100 percent of its requested funding amount and scored “High” to “Medium-High” in nearly every project rating.
Last April, Big Blue Bus was awarded $22.9 million in TIRCP funds to purchase five battery electric buses and complete Phases 2 through 4 of its Master Plan.
Media Contact
Robert McCall
Community Engagement Administrator
Robert.McCall@SMGOV.NET
Categories
Getting Around, Strategic Priorities, Sustainable and Connected, Ways to Get Around