Foothill Transit One Step Closer to Being Emission-Free
Foothill Transit is one step closer to its vision of being an emission-free transit agency, thanks to a pilot program recently launched by Southern California Edison.
Foothill Transit recently signed an agreement with SCE to install a bank of electric bus charging stations to power the 14 zero-emission plug-in electric buses the agency recently purchased for Line 280, a route that runs between Azusa and Puente Hills.
The charging stations will be installed through SCE’s Charge Ready Transit Bus pilot, which covers the cost of installing electrical infrastructure and provides rebates for the purchase and hookup of the charging stations.
“Charging infrastructure will be crucial to reaching Foothill Transit’s goals to have a fully electric zero-emission fleet by 2030,” said Corey Calaycay, Foothill Transit executive board chair. “Southern California Edison’s Charge Ready Transit Bus pilot is a key element in our success.”
This will be Foothill Transit’s second fully electric bus line. The agency’s first route to go fully electric was Line 291 between Pomona and LaVerne.
“Every person on board is one less car on the road, drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Calycay said. “Making that shared ride a zero emissions electric bus enhances that reduction substantially.”
Foothill Transit serves 48,000 passengers per weekday over 300 square miles of Los Angeles County. Of its 373-bus fleet, 32 are electric and the remainder run on compressed natural gas. Foothill Transit plans to convert its entire fleet to all plug-in electric buses by 2030.
SCE looks forward to working with Foothill Transit and other transit agencies throughout our service area to help them lead the way in eliminating tailpipe emissions and cleaning the transportation sector.
Laura Renger
SCE Principal Manager
“SCE looks forward to working with Foothill Transit and other transit agencies throughout our service area to help them lead the way in eliminating tailpipe emissions and cleaning the transportation sector,” said Laura Renger, SCE principal manager for Air and Climate Policy.
Electrifying transportation is critical, Renger said, because between tailpipe emissions and the refining of oil products, the transportation sector produces nearly half of California’s total greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 80 percent of the state’s smog-forming nitrogen oxide emissions.
Renger noted that the California Air Resources Board has proposed a rule that aims for statewide zero-emission bus transit. The rule, known as Innovative Clean Transit, sets 2029 as the year by which all transit agencies in the state would be required to buy only zero-emission buses.
“We support the proposed Innovative Clean Transit rule and stand ready to facilitate the electrification of transit buses, which are especially important as they provide greater access to electric vehicles for all customers,” Renger said. SCE’s vision for cleaning the air and fighting climate change calls for more than 7 million electric vehicles on California highways by 2030, including more than 200,000 trucks and buses.
Last month, the city of Porterville became the first site to participate in SCE’s Charge Ready Transit Bus pilot, adding 10 new charging stations to support 10 new plug-in electric buses. Porterville Transit plans to convert its fleet of 25 vehicles to all-electric by 2025 or sooner.
The Charge Ready Transit Bus Pilot is among a number of Charge Ready pilots and programs SCE is launching to support medium- and heavy-duty trucks, port equipment and other industrial vehicles, as well as public and home-based charging for cars.
