The time for cleaner transportation is now for Santa Maria Regional Transit, which launched its first electric buses.
Those who were involved in making the project a reality participated in a sort of unveiling Wednesday, though instead of a traditional ribbon cutting, the bus was revealed via a cord connecting two large chargers for the bus. This involved a few city officials, including councilmembers Mike Cordero and Carlos Escobedo.
Santa Maria Regional Transit, also known as SMRT, is making the transition to become fully electric and the first step was the addition of two Proterra Model ZX5+ vehicles, which have upgraded safety and passenger amenities, including public Wi-Fi. The buses will debut on the city’s Routes 1 and 11, which both serve Broadway, for the first week of service.
“Almost immediately following this event, our buses will go into service," said Transit Services Manager Gamaliel Anguiano. “Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be the best time to catch them. After that, we will be rotating them throughout the city, so everybody who currently rides the bus will have a shot at riding our new buses."
These two electric buses are the first step in SMRT’s transition to zero-emission vehicles and becoming carbon-free by 2024. The California Air Resources Board is requiring that new vehicles sold in the state by 2035 be free of greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide.
Anguiano encourages locals who have not used public transportation in a while to give it another try. Not only does he describe it as “being ecologically minded,” but also as an opportunity to connect with fellow members of the community.
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"I've always said that public transit is the new social watering hole," Anguiano said. "It brings like-minded individuals to a like-minded space, traveling to like-minded destinations."
The new buses come with the SMRT branding livery. One bus has an artistic design reflecting the local landscape and a setting sun. The second bus is a vibrant electric blue and yellow. Both vehicles will be equipped with the latest in air quality management equipment.
“Delivering clean, quiet transportation for all is an opportunity to meet the needs of our communities while protecting our environment and public health," said Mark Hollenbeck, the California Regional Sales Director for Proterra. He highlighted that the fifth generation transit vehicle has “an emphasis on safety, durability and performance and is designed to tackle the toughest routes and terrains across North America," he said.
With the adoption of the City’s 2022-24 budget, the Transit Division is authorized to spend about $22 million in Federal and State funding over the next two fiscal years to support the purchase of as many as 15 electric buses, which will expand the total number of electric buses in the fleet to 17.
“There's only one community nationally that is already fully eclectic and that's Antelope Valley," Cordero said. “If we are able to stay on schedule and get all the buses by 2024, we will likely be the second community in the nation, not just in California, in the United States."
Transitioning to electric buses is anticipated to save the transit program’s operating budget about $300,000 annually for fuel and maintenance costs. Some of the costs for electric vehicle charging stations will be reimbursed under PG&E’s E-Fleet Ready Program. The city also received more than $200,000 from the state’s Low Carbon Transportation Operations Program for the transition.
April Chavez is the Santa Maria City Reporter for the Santa Maria Times. If you have information, or a story idea that you would like to share, send her an email at AChavez@SantaMariaTimes.com.
