Metro commits to a zero-emission fleet
Transit board’s approval of 20 electric buses part of larger plan to lower costs, cut pollution
Local transit officials no longer are blowing hot air about the emissions coming out of Metro buses.
Board members Thursday approved a plan for all new Metropolitan Transit Authority buses to produce zero emissions by 2030, setting one of the largest bus fleets in the nation on a path to pull away from diesel engines and toward electric, hydrogen or some other alternative.
“It could not be more vital to take this step forward,” Chairwoman Carrin Patman said. “We have the capability to do it and the expertise to do it.”
The commitment came with the board’s approval of the purchase of 20 electric buses — part of a pilot to further test battery-driven buses and how well they perform in the heat of a Houston summer. Setting a goal is part of Metro’s work to create an agency climate action plan, which will be written by a committee led by former Harris County Clerk and Metro board member Chris Hollins.
Environmental groups cheered the move.
“Metro has made one of the strongest commitments to public transit electrification in the nation,” said Bay Scoggin, executive director of the Texas Public Interest Research Group, in a statement. “We applaud their forward-thinking leadership; this is a great day for all Houstonians, not just the ones riding the bus.”
Supporters also said it could help lower transit costs. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, over the 12-year lifespan of the typical transit agency bus, an electric bus costs 12 percent less to operate.
“Houstonians deserve a modern, clean transit fleet that cuts pollution and saves money, and with an allelectric fleet (Metro) can deliver,”
said Colin Leyden, Texas political director for EDF, in an email.
Scoggin, however, also noted Metro and the Houston region are playing catch-up to many other metro areas.
“The air quality in Houston is among the worst in the nation,” he said. “Up to this point, the city has fallen behind when it comes to cleaning up its transportation system.”
The change will not happen overnight, transit officials acknowledged. Metro, with a fleet of more than 1,200 buses, typically buys about 100 new buses a year.
Board members said in the interim they expect Metro to move aggressively but deliberately to new engines, either more natural gas, which is cleaner than diesel, or hundreds of new electric or hydrogen buses.
“Every step in that direction will be helpful,” Metro board member Sanjay Ramabhadran said last week.
Approval of the zero emission goal comes as Metro proceeded with development of its next major project, approving $40 million to continue development of a planned bus rapid transit line from around Tidwell and Interstate 69 to Westchase, via Denver Harbor, downtown, Midtown, Greenway Plaza and Uptown.
The project, dubbed the University Line because it connects the University of Houston and Texas Southern University with various neighborhoods and job centers, would be the region’s second BRT line. The lines deliver a rail-like service using stations and dedicated lanes, but with 60-foot buses.
The 14 buses operating the Silver Line mostly along Post Oak in the Uptown area, which opened last year, are diesel-powered. The line, opened during the pandemic, has failed to meet initial ridership expectations and carries about 700 people daily based on July numbers, a fraction of what was predicted before COVID cut Metro use in half.