Marin Transit Awarded $31.5M For New Electric Bus Yard

SAN RAFAEL, CA — Marin Transit this week received its largest-ever grant, netting $31.5 million from the Federal Transit Administration to build a new maintenance tard for electric buses. The funds come from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and represent its largest transit grant awarded in California.

Metro Transit said the money will allow for the construction of a new facility to maintain and charge up to 40 buses, improving efficiency for the county's growing zero-emission fleet.

"We made a promise to invest in America and rebuild our infrastructure to work better for everyday folks," said Rep. Jared Huffman, who voted in favor of the infrastructure bill. "Public transportation is a fundamental part of that equation, and these grants are going to help create a greener, more modern way to get people where they need to go."

The sizable grant will allow the county to buy and develop the new state-of-the-art facility, consolidating several sites that are currently leased or contracted and cutting down the miles buses have to travel between parking and maintenance centers. The larger facility will also allow Metro Transit to convert more of its fleet to electric, putting it will on the way to meeting the state's 2040 zero-emission goal.

Metro Transit currently owns six electric buses, with the remainder of the fleet running on clean diesel.

Officials said building a new yard will also improve reliability, leading to fewer service disruptions and delays. The grant will also support training for new maintenance workers to provide consistent service.

"As we embark on this transformative project, we look forward to collaborating with our community stakeholders, elected officials and transit partners to ensure that our transition to a GHG free system is successfully implemented," said Katie Rice, president of the Metro Transit Board. "Together we will create a transit system that meets our community's needs and achieves our climate goals."