Sonoma County Approves Plan for All-Electric Bus Fleet by 2040

Sonoma County is on track to have a fully electric fleet of buses. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors have approved a plan that ensures within five years all new county public transit buses purchased will be zero-emission vehicles and all fossil-fueled buses will be retired within 17 years, in accordance with state law. To date, Sonoma County Transit has purchased 19 electric buses, representing about 40 percent of the county’s 49-bus fleet. In addition, Sonoma County Transit will need to purchase and install new electric charging facilities and backup generators, estimated to cost more than $9 million. The projected cost to replace the remaining bus fleet is more than $50 million. The county is pursuing assistance from the state for these upgrades, including grant requests totaling about $26 million.