The city of Santa Monica‘s Big Blue Bus will receive a $53.3 million grant through its Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP), according to the California State Transportation Agency.
This funding will support the following initiatives, enabling Big Blue Bus to meet statewide greenhouse gas reduction goals and advance Santa Monica’s commitment to a sustainable and connected community:
- Complete the phased implementation of an electrification master plan ($35,534,149)
- Enable the purchase of 73 battery electric buses ($17,340,129)
- Provide workforce development to operate infrastructure improvements ($406,405)
“We are thrilled that the state is investing in our project to expand Big Blue Bus service and complete our conversion to a 100 percent battery electric, zero-emissions fleet,” says Anuj Gupta, Santa Monica Department of Transportation director. “This funding will enhance our ability to deliver sustainable transit service — reducing emissions and congestion, and connecting our community to opportunity.”
Approximately $35.5 million in TIRCP funds will be allocated to fully implement Big Blue Bus’s Fleet Electrification Master Plan, a detailed seven-phase strategy for transitioning from a renewable natural gas fleet to a 100% zero-emissions fleet by 2031. The plan involves implementing electric utility and charging equipment upgrades at Big Blue Bus’s depot, which includes constructing a large canopy equipped with overhead reel charging dispensers that can fully charge an electric bus in about four hours.
Big Blue Bus will use $17.3 million to purchase 73 zero-emission battery electric buses, replacing compressed natural gas vehicles that have surpassed their useful life. The new buses will be Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-accessible, have approximately 40 seats and feature new bicycle racks that can hold up to three bicycles.
More than $400,000 will be directed toward workforce development to ensure staff are well-trained in operating and maintaining the new buses. Big Blue Bus will provide over 1,100 hours of advanced safety training for its staff in partnership with the California Transit Training Consortium.
Big Blue Bus will also use grant funds to improve Route 2 service on Wilshire Boulevard, connecting the route to Los Angeles County Metro’s D Line at two stations, once the rail line is fully extended to the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 2027. That same year, the agency will add more than 12,350 service hours to the route and increase trip frequency from every 20 minutes to every 10 minutes.
Twenty-seven transit agencies were awarded funding in TIRCP Cycle 7; the program offers grants to support capital improvement projects that help California transit systems reduce greenhouse gas emissions, vehicle miles traveled and traffic congestion. Big Blue Bus received 100% of its requested funding amount and scored “High” to “Medium-High” in nearly every project rating.
