San Francisco transportation officials will ask the state for exemptions from the mandate that large transit agencies start purchasing zero-emission buses by a specific timeline.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) enforces the regulation known as the Innovative Clean, which requires transit agencies to purchase all new zero-emission buses by 2029. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will be unable to meet the bus vehicle purchase deadline.
At last week’s SFMTA board meeting, directors approved pursuing five one-year exemptions from CARB that will cover the years from 2027–31, citing financial hardship, one of the exemptions transit agencies can use for not meeting the deadline. Bhavin Khatri, the SFMTA’s zero-emission program manager, told directors that the exemptions do not change the agency’s goal of having a zero-emission fleet.
“Instead, it provides flexibility while we continue to advance towards the zero-emission goal in a financially responsible way,” Khatri said.
The SFMTA will cite specific financial challenges as part of its exemptions, including having applied for $473 million in federal grants for fleet and facility upgrades for electrification but so far has received only $79 million. Additionally, given the agency’s current financial outlook, Khatri said it would be “impractical” to seek out a finance option, such as a revenue bond.
He added that complying with CARB’s regulation from 2027-2031 would add $452 million in costs to the agency for vehicle and facility upgrades, money the agency does not have. A cost estimate from the SFMTA’s 2025 rollout, including costs for zero-emission buses and facility upgrades, pins the total cost at more than $1.6 billion.
Board Director Steve Heminger questioned whether SFMTA could instead replace some of Muni’s fleet with trolley buses as an alternative option.
“The trolleys also are powered by clean Hetch Hetchy power up in the mountains, so it is end-to-end a good deal in terms of environmental protection,” Heminger said.
Julie Kirschnaum, the SFMTA director of transportation, said that once the renovations for the Potrero bus yard are complete, it will allow the agency to “rethink trolley expansion.” A study in 2023 from the Climate and Community Institute recommended that the SFMTA keep its trolley system and invest in in-motion trolley buses.
While the SFMTA does not plan to purchase any battery-electric buses from 2027-2031, the agency does have new buses arriving over the next several years, including zero-emission buses that were previously purchased.
The SFMTA purchased 94 hybrid buses from bus manufacturer New Flyer to replace aging buses with plans to purchase more. Some of the buses have already trickled into revenue service on the 12-Folsom and 19-Polk.
Directors on the SFMTA board had also previously approved contracts with New Flyer for four 40-foot and three 60-foot electric buses and five 40-foot electric buses from Gillig. Additionally, the SFMTA purchased three 40-foot and three 60-foot electric buses from Solaris.
SFMTA Director of Transit Brent Jones said that the new buses will feature fully enclosed operator cabs, USB ports for riders to charge electronics, space for strollers, and a plug-style backdoor.
“While the infrastructure is not fully in place for a larger investment at this time, the information that we’re going to learn about this emerging and maturing technology is going to guide how our future procurements align with our facility upgrades,” Jones said of the new zero-emission buses.
