CA: NCTD gets $16.8 million federal grant to buy new CNG buses
North County Transit District will receive a $16.8 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to replace aging compressed natural gas (CNG) buses on Breeze bus routes, officials said Wednesday.
“The replacement of aging buses near the end of their useful life will reduce delays caused by mechanical failures, ensuring our customers arrive to their destinations safely and on time,” said NCTD CEO Shawn M. Donaghy in a news release.
The new buses will be used by the agency’s East Division facility in Escondido, which runs 21 of the district’s 30 routes primarily serving Escondido, San Marcos, Vista, and unincorporated areas of San Diego County, officials said. The division carried more than 2.2 million riders in the last fiscal year.
Many of the BREEZE routes serve areas with higher concentrations of young residents who depend on public transit to take them to schools, jobs, and essential services. Within a quarter-mile of the 21 East Division routes, there are approximately 745 young residents per square mile, more than three times the transit district’s systemwide average, the release states.
NCTD’s application for funding from the FTA was supported by U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, Assemblymember Laurie Davies, San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, and other regional partners.
“Putting new, clean air buses on California’s streets will improve commutes, cut pollution, and enhance the quality of life for communities all across our state,” Schiff said in the release.
NCTD introduced its first low-emissions CNG buses in 2001, and they now make up a majority of the fleet. Each new CNG bus can cost between $500,000 and $1 million.
The district received $29,330,243 from the FTA in 2023 to purchase 23 zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell electric buses. The award included funding to train employees and to develop an apprenticeship program in collaboration with Palomar College.
California’s goal is to have only zero-emission vehicles on all public bus systems by 2040.
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