In July 2024, TheRide received a $25 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to support the introduction of its zero emission initiatives. TheRide will use the awarded grant funds to fund a hydrogen fueling station, two hydrogen buses and over a dozen diesel-electric hybrid buses. The grant is part of the FTA’s Low / No Emission Bus Grant program, under President Biden’s Investing in America program.
Grant Awarded to Reduce Carbon Emissions
CEO Recommendation Update
The CEO's recommendation for a zero emissions bus initiative has been revised based on public comments and advice from TheRide's Board of Directors. The recommendation now includes two parts that will work together: a hydrogen fuel-cell bus project, with the addition of hybrid bus replacements.
Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Bus Project
TheRide's recommendation for a hydrogen fuel-cell bus project will span 4-5 years. This includes:
- 2 hydrogen fuel-cell buses
- 1 outdoor fueling station
- Workforce training
- 12 months of operations in all seasons
If successful, this will pave the way for a solution that eliminates all bus emissions, potentially saving about 7,000 tons of carbon emissions annually.
Addition of Hybrid Diesel-Electric Buses
The addition of hybrid diesel-electric buses allows for:
- No infrastructure changes
- Replacing older diesel buses with hybrid buses over the next 3-4 years, based on the Federal Transit Administration's guidelines
- More emissions reductions sooner
Should this approach be embraced, hybrid buses will begin delivering emissions reductions as early as 2025-2026, conventional diesel buses would be phased out 3-4 years earlier than without hybrid buses, and the fleet will become fully zero-emission by 2045.
Resources
Additional Resources
- Why do most buses use diesel? View the video
- Watch the Presentation on hydrogen buses
- View the Presentation Slides on hydrogen buses
- Watch the Zero Emissions Bus Recommendation Presentation at the October 19 Board of Directors Meeting
- Watch the Zero Emissions Bus Discussion at the November 16 Board of Directors Meeting
- About hydrogen - View the video
- How hydrogen buses work - View the video
- Zero emission bus - View the video
- Electric buses 101 - View the video
- Electric vehicles' battery problem - View the video
- Read about Hydrogen Funding for Michigan
- What is green hydrogen, and will it power the future? Watch the video
- When will we see the hydrogen revolution? Watch the video
In 2022, TheRide worked with its consultant, Stantec, to develop an Alternative Propulsion Bus Study. Read more on this study, learn about zero emission bus options, and view informational materials from the 2022 background research.