Unitrans, the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) transit system, has purchased six New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE® battery-electric, 40-foot heavy-duty transit buses from the California Department of General Services (DGS) contract.
New Flyer was selected by DGS as an approved supplier of electric vehicles in 2019. The DGS contract simplifies potential future bus procurement for California local government agencies for up to five years.
Unitrans operates in and around the UC Davis campus, providing mobility to more than 45,000 students and delivering more than four million passenger trips per year. Unitrans has pursued alternative fuels for nearly a decade, a strategy accelerated by the California Air Resources Board’s adoption of the Innovative Clean Transit regulation in 2018, which mandates the state’s public transit agencies to transition to 100 percent zero-emission bus fleets by 2040.
The purchase is supported by Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds and begins conversion of the current Unitrans fleet, comprised of compressed natural gas buses (CNG), to zero-emission as existing vehicles reach end of life. Full electrification of the fleet–anticipated for completion in the early 2030s–is a joint venture between the campus and city, both focused on sustainability and mitigation of climate change.
“Having delivered 37 low-emission CNG buses to Unitrans since 2009, we now turn our focus to advancing UC Davis toward cleaner, more sustainable and climate-friendly mobility,” said Chris Stoddart, president, North America Bus and Coach. “Over 50 years of engineering electric buses has enabled continual innovation of our zero-emission technology, and today our Xcelsior CHARGE® buses are meeting the increasing demand for sustainable transportation. Together with Unitrans, we are creating healthier, quieter, more livable communities while mitigating climate change head on.”
