MA-2025-010

Application purpose: This application is to request FY24 Section 5339(c) low and no emission funding apportioned to the MBTA in the amount of $40,000,000 to purchase 28 forty-foot battery electric buses and to support related workforce development initiatives.

Activities performed: Purchase 28 buses 40ft battery electric buses (BEB) with street side boarding to replace the existing fleet for 28 electric trolleybus (ETB)/trackless trolley in Cambridge.

This is part of an overall procurement of 120 buses - with 80 of them already funded in FTA grant MA-2023-038 ($116M in federal funding).

This battery bus program will provide MBTA with valuable information on battery buses and their usability on a large scale.

The results of this program will have significant influence over the propulsion technologies chosen for other procurements moving forward.

The quantity of 28 buses (North Cambridge) identified in this request allows for a 14% increase over the current fleet size based on anticipated requirements for battery charging time.

All 10 pre-production buses (5 base and 5 with street side boarding) are expected to be delivered by the end of 2024.

Delivery of 27 production buses with streetside boarding is anticipated in September 2025-November 2025.

Delivery of 43 production base buses is anticipated in October 2026-February 2027.

Delivery of the additional 40 production base buses is anticipated in February 2027-May 2027.

Warranty period is 2 years following the delivery of the last production bus.

This grant also funds workforce development activities related to employment or education with a direct linkage to the battery electric bus procurement project; for example developing apprenticeships, on-the-job training, and instructional training for public transportation maintenance and operations occupations.

These workforce development funds are intended to retrain the existing workforce and develop the workforce of the future including via registered apprenticeships and other joint labor-management training programs as outlined in the MBTA's zero-emission transition plan.

Expected outcomes: MBTA's ETB fleet was retired in 2022.

ETBs are limited to routes where overhead catenary is present.

Catenary is expensive to install and maintain and the elimination of the catenary system has been identified as a top priority by the Engineering and Maintenance Department.

The MBTA fleet transition will greatly reduce energy consumption and harmful emissions by replacing diesel buses with BEBs - the first substantial step in the MBTA's ambitious plan to eliminate bus emissions by 2040 by transitioning all 1,150 buses to zero-emission vehicles.

The new BEBs will also enable the MBTA to operate revenue service more efficiently as the diesel buses being retired operate over 3 million miles per year and consume over 800,000 gallons of fuel.

In the near term, these funds will allow the MBTA to eliminate emissions from all routes served by the Quincy and North Cambridge bus facilities.

Intended beneficiaries: This project benefits the residents of the MBTA service area and most directly those communities served by bus routes based at the North Cambridge and Quincy bus facilities.

Subrecipient activities: None.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

THE LOW-NO PROGRAM PROVIDES FUNDING FOR THE PURCHASE OR LEASE OF ZERO-EMISSION AND LOW-EMISSION TRANSIT BUSES INCLUDING ACQUISITION CONSTRUCTION AND LEASING OF REQUIRED SUPPORTING FACILITIES SUCH AS RECHARGING REFUELING AND MAINTENANCE FACILITIES.

20.526 - Buses and Bus Facilities Formula, Competitive, and Low or No Emissions Programs

FTA Region 1 [DOT - FTA]

FTA Office of Budget and Policy [DOT - FTA]

Massachusetts United States

State-Wide

FY2024 Competitive Funding Opportunity: Low- or No-Emission Program (FTA-2024-003-TPM-LWNO)