Authored by Alyssa Fritts, CTE Managing Consultant & ZEBRA Manager
On September 23 & 24, transit agencies across the U.S. and Canada convened at the century-old Historic Davenport Hotel in Spokane, Washington, for the Zero Emission Bus Resource Alliance (ZEBRA) fall roundtable, hosted in partnership with Spokane Transit Authority (STA). The theme centered on the evolution of the zero-emission transit ecosystem, asking: “Are we there yet?” A fitting question for the smallest city to host the first environmentally themed world’s fair in the 1970s. Spokane and STA continue to scale for the future with 25% of STA’s fleet comprised of battery electric buses (BEBs).
Located between the Cascades and Rocky Mountains, along the Spokane River, STA provides reliable service in every season and through extreme elements. Highlights of STA’s zero-emission operations include:
- City Line, a six-mile BEB Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route established in 2023, focused on providing frequent, accessible, and convenient transportation to the Spokane Community
- Opportunity and depot charging to keep STA’s 40 BEBs in revenue service
- A diversified mix of pantograph chargers and overhead-mounted dispensers with cable reels maximizes uptime and combats space constraints
While every ZEBRA roundtable is unique to the host city and partner agency, the core structure remains constant: brief, informative presentations paired with moderated Q&A sessions in a vendor-free audience.
Over two days, agencies and vendors alike participated in collaborative conversations in the Lilac City. Presentations included ABB e-Mobility, Zenobē, Optimal, Schetky Bus & Van Sales, Flipturn, Solaris, and Powers Parts. Day One featured a sponsored networking reception by Heliox, A Siemens Business, overlooking scenic Spokane Falls, followed by lunch at beautiful Manito Park on Day Two. A notable highlight was the opportunity to tour two microtransit buses alongside STA’s fleet: the Karsan eJEST minibus, provided by Damera, and Optimal’s LFe shuttle bus.
Circling back to the key question: “Are we there yet?” No, but as Christian Bigger (STA) stated in his event primer, “We are getting there.” Progress comes through overcoming challenges, expanding market options, increased data availability, improved standards, and learning from peer agencies—the core of ZEBRA’s mission.
ZEBRA extends its thanks to event sponsors: ABB e-Mobility, Damera, Flipturn, Heliox, A Siemens Business, Optimal, Powers Parts, Schetky Bus & Van Sales, Solaris, and Zenobē for making this event possible and keeping registration free for transit agency attendees. ZEBRA would also like to acknowledge the dedication of STA for being gracious hosts, providing transportation to attendees, and lending dedicated staff.
Hoping to catch the next roundtable? Join ZEBRA for an Inner Harbor roundtable in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 12 & 13, 2027, hosted in partnership with the MDOT, Maryland Transportation Authority (MTA).
Contact info@zebragrp.org or visit www.zebragrp.org to learn more.
The Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) works on behalf of ZEBRA’s membership to provide the group with technical assistance and industry consultation based on extensive experience in ZEB deployments. CTE is a national non-profit with a mission of moving advanced clean vehicles to market.
