Santa Cruz Metro gets over $20 million to convert Watsonville fleet to zero-emission

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV)- UPDATE ON JULY 3, 2023 AT 2:45 PM: The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District formally announced that they received $20,381,950 to fund zero-emission buses.

“It's a great way for the public to participate in something that we all care about, which is preserving our environment. We’re doing that by riding zero emission busses and also having the opportunity to donate to the environment," said US Representative for the 18th District, Zoe Lofgren.

The funding will cover the replacement of 12 diesel-fueled buses. These four new buses will assure METRO converts its entire fleet to 100% zero-emissions buses that service Watsonville.

Santa Cruz METRO says this transition will eliminate 15,504 metric tons of CO2 emissions. Currently, at 10%, METRO's zero-emission fleet will increase to 60%.

Santa Cruz Metro to get $20.3 million in federal funding

The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District will receive $20.3 million in federal funding through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Low or No Emission Grant Program (Low-No Program) and the FY 2023 Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program.

The offices of U.S. California Senators Alex Padilla and Diane Feinstein announced the funding on Monday.

Santa Cruz Metro was one of nine transportation agencies/cities throughout the state that received federal funding through the FTA's low-no program.

The federal Funding for the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District will go towards their Zero-Emission Buses, Fueling, and Workforce Development Project.

In total, the FTA awarded $184 Million in Grants to Help California Transition to Clean Buses.

For a full list of transportation agencies that were funded, click here.