The Clean Air Express has a new 45-foot fully electric, inter-city commuter bus—the third electric commuter bus in the nation—that will begin weekday routes between Santa Maria and Lompoc and routes to employment locations in South Santa Barbara County.
The bus made its debut with a ribbon cutting ceremony and guest speakers U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), state Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara), Santa Barbara County 1st District Supervisor Das Williams, 2nd District Supervisor Gregg Hart, and Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne on Jan. 29.
Williams also serves as the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments’ (SBCAG) board of directors chair and oversaw the partnership with Caltrans that helped purchase the bus.
“We know that transportation is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. A switch to cleaner, quieter, and smoother public transit options is a switch in the right direction, one that is imperative for our future—for our children and neighbors,” Williams said at the ceremony.
The Clean Air Express battery features a 220-mile range and will serve more than 7,000 passengers per month with nine weekday roundtrips. It weighs the same as a diesel bus and has a 12-year battery warranty, making it a good investment for communities, he said.
“Today we see just how the zero-emission vehicle industry’s evolving technology is changing the game for long-range transportation options, improving the efficiency, experience, and commuter benefits to save energy and the environment,” Williams said.
The Santa Barbara Air Pollution Control District created the Clean Air Express in 1990 as a way to improve regional air quality by reducing the number of single commuters. SBCAG took over the program in 2001 and expanded it with new buses, added payment flexibility, and installed wireless internet on all the buses, SBCAG Public Information Officer Lauren Bianchi Klemann said in an email.
“The all-electric bus combined with the replacement of a diesel bus eliminates 450 tons of CO2 annually, equivalent to CO2 emissions from more than 80 residential homes’ electricity use for one year,” she added.
The bus costs $850,000. Caltrans provided $500,000 in SB 1 funds from the State Rail Assistance Program. SB 1—a California fuel tax—provides $5 billion in transportation funding, which is split between state and local agencies. The electric bus service is operated by SBCAG and funded by Santa Barbara County’s transportation sales tax measure, Measure A, Bianchi Klemann said.
During the ceremony, Sen. Limón reflected on the 2017 vote for SB 1—also known as the gas tax—and how it enables the state to invest in road safety and better vehicles for the community.
“What we do to reduce the number of cars on the road is part of how we maintain safety. To be able to have this bus take the place of multiple cars is really important,” Limón said.
Limón said she believes that this will establish strong infrastructure in Santa Barbara County, and act as a model for others to follow suit.
“For the state of California—the fifth largest economy—a transportation system is unbelievably important to the health of our economy, but sometimes it’s that same transportation system that causes concern to the health of the individual constituents,” Limón said. “I am proud that Santa Barbara County is among the first communities in the nation to provide an all-electric commuter bus as California transitions to zero-emission public transportation vehicles.”
This article appears in Feb 3-10, 2022.
