The recently passed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law authorizes up to $108 billion for public transportation nationally, an historic federal investment. How these dollars are spent in our region will determine the future of our public transit network. One of the key priorities of the federal government and transportation agencies is the electrification of buses.

Electrifying the region’s bus fleets will help us to meet our carbon reduction targets while improving air quality, particularly in low income communities and communities of color who have unjustly borne the burden of dirty fossil fuel infrastructure for too long. But converting state and city fleets will be challenging, with complicated decisions to be made.

To explore the challenges and opportunities for bus electrification in our region, RPA hosted a webinar, sponsored by Con Edison, as part of our Equitable Energy series. We were joined by transit agency representatives from across the region and discussed the challenges they face, lessons learned so far, and how new federal funding can help overcome barriers to this important initiative.