The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO) has made history by approving the purchase of 57 hydrogen-powered, fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs), marking the largest acquisition of FCEBs in United States.

The purchase includes forty-eight 40 ft. buses and nine 60 ft. articulated buses. Buses are scheduled for rollout starting in late 2024 with most of them being deployed in the Watsonville service area. This move will enable METRO to fully serve Watsonville and Santa Cruz County with zero-emissions vehicles.

These buses will be replacing the existing aging compressed natural gas (CNG) and diesel buses. Currently, METRO's fleet is comprised of only 10% zero-emissions buses (ZEBs), but with this purchase, that number will be over 69%. This transition will help METRO achieve 100% zero-emission technology ahead of California's Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) Regulation deadline. This significant conversion of METRO's CNG and diesel fleet to zero-emissions FCEBs will result in a remarkable greenhouse gas emission reduction totaling 1.2 million MTCO2e.

For perspective, a round-trip flight from Los Angeles to New York City produces around 0.9 metric tons of CO2e per passenger. The reduction of 1.2 million MTCO2e could offset the emissions from approximately 1.33 million cross-country flights.

Santa Cruz METRO aims to be 100% emissions-free by 2037, and acquiring these buses is a crucial step in fulfilling its climate action plan and meeting California's clean energy mandates.

How will these buses be fueled?

In conjunction with the FCEB procurement, METRO plans to construct a hydrogen fueling station to support the transition of their entire 94-bus fleet to zero-emissions vehicles. The station will also have the capacity to facilitate the fueling needs of local partner agencies and others.

To finance this initiative, METRO has secured $20.4 million in grant funding from the Federal Transit Administration and a $38.6 million award from the California State Transportation Agency's Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program. Additionally, METRO has applied for an additional $27 million from the California Air Resources Board's Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust.

In June, METRO committed to purchasing the FCEBs from North American bus manufacturer New Flyer, and in August, the California Transportation Commission approved the use of 2023 TIRCP award funds for this purpose.

This decision to purchase FCEB’s emphasizes METRO's dedication to environmental stewardship and a sustainable future. If you would like to support the Santa Cruz Metro and protect Monterey Bay’s extraordinary natural resources, you can do so just by simply riding the bus via the One Ride at a Time (ORAT) program.

About Santa Cruz METRO

Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO) Established in 1968, METRO’S mission is to provide environmentally sustainable transportation to Santa Cruz County. METRO directly operates county-wide, fixed-route and Highway 17 commuter service, with connections to Santa Clara County and Monterey Salinas Transit at our Watsonville Transit Center. The agency also operates ParaCruz paratransit service. Today METRO operates a fleet of 94 buses on 24 fixed routes and 32 paratransit vehicles.