MTA to expand next wave of deployment of zero-emission buses to six depots

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will deploy 60 zero-emission electric buses at six bus depots serving all five boroughs.

This deployment deepens the MTA's commitment to equity and environmental justice by prioritizing communities with high asthma and air pollution rates. In New York City, approximately 75 percent of MTA bus depots are located in low/moderate-income communities, and transit bus routes run disproportionately through these neighborhoods.   

“My administration is laser focused on speeding up our transition to clean energy,” said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. “Public transportation has always been critical to reducing emissions and this deployment is a major step toward the MTA’s commitment to a zero-emission bus fleet by 2040. New York’s progress in modernizing our transportation infrastructure has far-reaching impacts that help address social equity and continue to cement our status as a national leader in the fight against climate change.”   

The announcement represents a major step towards the MTA's 2018 commitment of deploying a zero-emission bus fleet by 2040, which will avoid 520,000 metric tons of carbon emissions annually. The first of these new electric buses will begin arriving at depots in the second half of 2022 and will be at all six locations in 2023. The authority currently operates 15 zero-emission electric buses, and the $51.5 billion MTA 2020-2024 Capital Program includes $1.1 billion in funding to buy another 500.    

These buses will provide service among numerous routes at the following depots:   

• Grand Ave, Queens: servicing the B24, B32, B39, B47, B48, B57, B60, B62, Q59  
• Charleston, Staten Island: servicing the S55, S56, S74, S78, S84  
• East New York, Brooklyn: servicing the B12, B14, B15, B17, B25, B42, B45, B65, B82, B83, B84, Q24, Q56  
• Kingsbridge, Manhattan: servicing the Bx3, Bx7, Bx10, Bx13, Bx18, Bx20, M100  
• Michael J. Quill, Manhattan: servicing the M8, M9, M12, M20, M21, M22, M42, M50, M55, M57, M66, M72  
• Jamaica, Queens: servicing the Q3, Q4, Q5, Q17, Q30, Q42, Q77, Q84, Q85  

In addition, five of these bus depots will be equipped with new state-of-the-art charging infrastructure to support the MTA’s growing electric bus fleet starting in the second half of 2022: Grand Ave, Charleston, East New York, Jamaica and Kingsbridge. The on-route charger at Williamsburg Bridge Plaza will also receive updates. All infrastructure upgrades will be completed in advance of bus arrivals at each depot.    

“I can think of no better way to celebrate Earth Day than to announce this significant deployment of electric buses. We know that buses are engines of equity, and it is an MTA priority to bring electric buses to environmental justice communities most impacted by climate change and pollution," said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. "Any New Yorker can join the fight against climate change by riding with the MTA, and these electric buses will only further reduce carbon emissions in our region.”

New York City Transit Interim President Craig Cipriano added, “The MTA is committed to a zero-emissions bus fleet to protect our city from the harmful effects of fossil fuels, and this deployment is a big step towards making environmentally friendly mass transit even greener. This deployment will greatly expand the presence of zero-emissions electric buses on New York City’s streets in all five boroughs and represents significant progress towards a fully zero-emissions bus fleet.”

This deployment contains several major milestones for the MTA’s bus fleet, including the first agency-owned standard 40-foot electric buses, the first in-depot overhead pantograph chargers, the first partnership with the New York Power Authority to manage charger installation, and the first partnership with a power company to install high-tension service and construction of a sub-station to supply electric buses. The initiative prioritizes environmental justice communities, putting green buses on the roads of neighborhoods that will most benefit from them, and will accelerate the authority’s progress in further cutting carbon emissions in its bus fleet. The MTA presently has more than 1,300 low-emission hybrid buses in its fleet, including 399 second generation hybrid buses which run on battery-only EV mode a portion of the time, reducing fossil fuel usage.

"We know that environmental justice begins on the ground, starting with the communities most impacted by climate change," said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. "Public transit is a critical piece of this work to build a greener city and more zero-emission buses will supercharge that effort, getting New Yorkers where they need to go while reducing harmful air pollution. I thank Governor Hochul for prioritizing environmental justice, centering the communities hit hardest by climate change, and helping move our city forward.”