Zero Emissions Future
SPACER |
In keeping with our mission of connecting our communities with safe, reliable, sustainable service that responds to the needs of our customers and communities, AC Transit is doing all we can to reduce our own emissions.
Greening Our Community
In the Bay Area, more air pollution comes from motor vehicles than from any other source. So, every time someone takes public transit instead of a car, we can all breathe a little easier. By carrying over 51,760,000 riders per year, AC Transit is doing its part to keep thousands of cars off the roads and their resulting pollution out of the air. Central to our clean air initiatives is forward-thinking service planning (that increases ridership while decreasing our environmental footprint) and innovative technologies that directly address some of the environmental challenges facing our service area.
Reducing Vehicle Emissions
AC Transit has embraced the exhaust emission standards set by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for more than 15 years, establishing its first hydrogen fuel cell pilot program in 2002. Since then, our transit district has adopted operational practices and programs that proudly exceed state environmental standards—including building one of the most comprehensive hydrogen fuel cell programs in the United States. As funding allows, AC Transit continues to purchase and integrate new zero emission buses (ZEBs) into our fleet—prioritizing their deployment to several disadvantaged communities through our Clean Corridors Plan. AC Transit is currently conducting a side-by-side analysis of buses using fuel cell versus battery electric technologies to determine which works best for our service. Learn more about our full Zero Emissions Bus Rollout Plan here.
Producing Green Energy Through Solar
AC Transit has 1,427 kW (DC) of installed solar in 7,032 panels located on an elevated trellis system in Hayward and on the rooftops of its CMF, Oakland and Hayward facilities. These solar systems deliver approximately 2,226 MWh of power per year—a significant portion of what is required to operate each facility. This amounts to an approximate carbon dioxide emissions savings of 1,535 metric tons per year.
On the Horizon
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has recently passed an aggressive Innovative Clean Transit Regulation, requiring all transit agencies to transition their fleets to zero-emission technologies by 2040. AC Transit is leading the way to this zero-emission future by its integration of battery-electric technology into our fleet. These will join our hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to expand our clean vehicle infrastructure and provide valuable data comparing battery-electric-bus to fuel cell-electric-bus technology in order to determine what works best for our service.
The majority of funding used for AC Transit’s environmental programs has come from generous grants provided by agencies including the California Air Resources Board, California Energy Commission and Federal Transit Administration. This money has been earmarked for specific use and cannot be utilized for any other purpose. Thanks to Senate Bill 1, AC Transit has recently secured the funding to purchase an additional 45 zero emission buses. 40 of these new ZEBs will replace old diesel vehicles and will be funded by over a half dozen sources. We consider ourselves fortunate to be the recipients of grant and state funding that allows us to explore cleaner modes of public transit that will improve the environment in the communities we serve.