SamTrans will add 10 new hydrogen fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs) to its fleet later this year.
During its May meeting, the San Mateo County Transit District Board of Directors approved key contracts to operate those buses at the district’s North Base facility in South San Francisco, according to the transit agency.
In one of the contracts, RMS Construction will modify the maintenance bays at North Base to increase ventilation, amend electrical infrastructure and partition the bays from the rest of the maintenance building, according to SamTrans. The other contract will have Plug Power deliver and set up an interim fueling system for the buses, along with two-years worth of hydrogen at a fixed price.
“SamTrans also negotiated an option to extend that contract after two years if the district’s permanent fueling stations aren’t yet ready for operation,” transit agency officials said.
SamTrans says the first of these 10 new FCEBs could begin operation in November. The district is scheduled to have a totally zero-emission bus fleet by 2034, six years ahead of California’s 2040 deadline for transit agencies.
Photo courtesy of SamTrans
