More battery electric buses are likely headed to San Francisco, including buses from a leading European manufacturer.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board of Directors on Tuesday approved a $10 million contract with bus manufacturer Solaris for three 40-foot and three 60-foot electric buses that will be manufactured in Poland. The contract will also take into consideration a rise in the costs stemming from possible tariffs.
The purchase is part of the agency’s effort to eventually replace its fleet of hybrid buses with a zero-emission bus fleet. The California Air Resources Board has a mandate that requires transit agencies to have a zero-emission bus fleet by 2040.
Since 2022, the SFMTA has been testing electric buses from various manufacturers, including BYD, a Chinese manufacturer, and New Flyer, which produced Muni’s current fleet of hybrid and trolleybuses.
Staff released an evaluation report last year on electric buses from four different manufacturers, with New Flyer receiving the highest marks. While buses were tested from BYD, transit officials said they would not be able to procure a large order of buses using federal funds, given that the company is headquartered in China and would not meet Buy America requirements.
“What we learned from the pilot program is that there are only two viable U.S.-based manufacturers, New Flyer and Gillig,” said Bhavin Khatri, the SFMTA’s zero-emission program manager.
SFMTA plans to have a zero-emission fleet by 2043, past the state’s deadline.
Directors approved a contract with New Flyer in April for four 40-foot and three 60-foot electric buses. The agency plans to purchase five 40-foot electric buses from Gillig later this year. Gillig is based in Hayward.
While Solaris is based in Europe, Khatri told directors that the company is seeking to establish a U.S.-based manufacturing facility by early 2027, which could potentially qualify for Buy America mandate.
Solaris also manufactures trolleybuses and could provide the SFMTA with an additional trolleybus manufacturer.
“Partnering with them early helps us ensure that the trolleybus technology continues to have a presence in the North American market, something that directly supports our long-term goals,” said Khatri.
A current timeline shows that the SFMTA plans to have a zero-emission fleet by 2043, past the state’s deadline. In the meantime, the agency plans to seek exemptions as the SFMTA continues to purchase hybrid buses to replace older buses.
Board Director Steven Heminger questioned the agency’s slow pace in converting Muni’s fleet to zero-emission vehicles.
“I’m sort of struggling with our strategy, which seems to be just dribs and drabs, Heminger said. When are we going to sort of catch up and get the scale?”
Khatri said that the purchase of electric buses is tied to upgrading the agency’s current bus yards. The agency is still seeking funding to upgrade its bus yards. Other challenges include supplying power to the bus yards.
The contract with Solaris will need approval from the Board of Supervisors.
