The Cities of Stockton and Porterville, Calif., have each placed orders with Proterra for the manufacturer's new Catalyst battery-electric buses.
Thanks to funding from the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District, the four new Proterra Catalysts will replace diesel buses in a concerted effort from the Valley to enable the proliferation of clean-air fleets, significantly reduce emissions, and improve ambient air quality and public health. Proterra claims the Catalyst is the most efficient 40-foot transit bus on the market, nearly six times more efficient than the diesel buses it will be replacing, at 22 MPGe.
San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD), which serves more than 687,744 people in San Joaquin County, will be ordering an additional two Catalyst buses to provide bus rapid transit for the region.
‘As the first transit agency in Northern California to have operated fully electric buses, we're grateful for the District's funding and the opportunity to expand our electric bus fleet with Proterra,’ says Donna DeMartino, general manager and CEO at RTD.
Tulare County's Porterville Transit also has plans to procure two Proterra Catalyst buses to inaugurate the Southern Valley's first electric transit bus service for approximately 650,000 passengers per year.
‘With perpetual air quality challenges in the Valley, we're grateful for the funding provided by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and pleased to integrate Proterra's zero-emission buses into our transit system,” says Richard Tree, PTS transit manager. “These 100-percent electric buses will provide a clean, quiet transit solution for our residents and business owners in Porterville.”
Proterra says these additional customer orders from Stockton and Porterville will bring the company's firm orders to 110 units, with 323 options contracted, for a total of 433. The South Carolina-based manufacturer also notes these latest orders come on the heels of announcing national expansion plans with a new California plant and breaking records with its Catalyst bus at the Altoona Bus Research and Testing Center.
