Nature or Nurture? How did Transit become the Zero-Emission Leader?
I believe the United States’ public transit market will be the first major on-road vehicle market to complete the transition to zero-emission vehicles. Transit is an ideal early market for zero-emission technologies for many reasons. Transit buses are operated and maintained by a dedicated, well-trained workforce. They often operate long hours on predicable, repeatable routes and are typically centrally refueled. They serve everybody and are particularly useful in supporting historically underserved urban communities, providing easy access to jobs, shopping, and entertainment.
Equally as important to the nature of transit as an early zero-emission market, is the nurture of this market by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). FTA made a concerted effort to put a plan in place that has supported these technologies from early-stage research, to prototype development and demonstration, to both limited and full-scale deployments. Early on, FTA recognized the need to provide technical assistance to early adopters and has made this support available to operators through every step of the process. The well-designed approach, paired with CTE’s and others' efforts to provide unbiased technical assistance, nurtured the public transit market to its place as the zero-emission fleet industry leader. FTA’s strategy stands as the blueprint for all other markets to follow.
As we approach our 10th edition of ZEB Con, I encourage you to come to Anaheim, CA, September 19-21 to learn how the transit community is continuing to set the standard and what school bus and airport operators are doing to follow transit’s lead. ZEB Con is the largest event of its kind in the world and has been an ever-increasing part of the clean transportation conversation since its inception in 2011. This year, transit agency representatives, school bus operators, policymakers, manufacturers, and thought leaders will again come together to learn about transportation solutions that will transform their communities.
I hope you can join us in Anaheim!
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