Federal funding boosts electric buses for Central Coast

– Today, Congressman Salud Carbajal announced $5,467,019 in federal funding to support the purchase of battery-electric buses and chargers for the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transportation District (MTD) and the San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority (RTA).

Santa Barbara MTD will receive $2,894,131, while San Luis Obispo RTA will receive $2,572,888. The funding comes from the Federal Transit Administration and is made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the 2021 infrastructure package crafted and passed by Carbajal, his colleagues, and the Biden-Harris Administration.

“Putting zero-emission buses on the roads of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo will help keep our air clean, reduce our region’s carbon footprint, and improve public transit reliability by installing new buses to serve Central Coast residents,” Carbajal said. “This is just the latest in what has been almost three years worth of investments from our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which I was proud to help pass last term. With nearly $1 billion already delivered for the Central Coast, this law is truly delivering once-in-a-generation investments that are raising the quality of life on the Central Coast.”

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said, “Today, 117 communities, including Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, are receiving the good news that their transit buses are being modernized and their commutes improved through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Biden-Harris Administration is helping agencies across 47 states replace old buses running on dirty, expensive fuels by delivering modern and zero-emission buses, manufactured by American workers, that will connect more people to where they need to go.”

Jerry Estrada, Santa Barbara MTD General Manager, commented, “We are excited to benefit from this FTA grant, which will help grow our zero-emission fleet that provides vital transit service to our community. This continues MTD’s decades-long commitment to clean and efficient public transportation on the South Coast.”

Rep. Carbajal’s office estimates that the Central Coast has received more than $950 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support various projects including airport and highway improvements, rail and water infrastructure upgrades, high-speed internet expansion, and public space maintenance.

A map of these and other investments can be found at Invest.gov.

California’s 24th district covers parts of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties, which includes Atascadero.