Agenda Item Wording:
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Approval of Visalia Transit’s Zero-Emission Bus Rollout Plan including approval of Resolution No. 2023-23 required, and authorize the City Manager to sign on behalf of Visalia Transit.
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Deadline for Action: 7/1/2023 - Needs to be submitted to CARB (California Air Resource Board).
Submitting Department: Administration - Transit Division
Contact Name and Phone Number:
Caleb Bowman, Transit Management Analyst,
Caleb.Bowman@Visalia.City, (559) 713-4794
Angelina DeRossett, Transit Manager,
Angelina.DeRossett@Visalia.City, (559) 713-4591
Nick Mascia, Assistant City Manager,
Nick.Mascia@Visalia.City, (559) 713-4323
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve Visalia Transit’s Zero-Emission Bus Rollout Plan, approve the required Resolution No. 2023-23 and authorize the City Manager to review, approve, and sign future updates to the plan.
Summary:
Achieving compliance with the Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) regulation, Visalia Transit has developed the Zero-Emission Bus Rollout Plan (Rollout Plan). This is required by all transit agencies for future grant applications and provides a path for agencies to follow to meet the Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation as part of the California Air Resources Board's (CARB) overall approach to accelerate a large-scale transition to zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. The attached plan shows a snapshot of the current transit fleet and infrastructure, as well as the path staff will follow to ensure 100% of the buses in the transit fleet are zero-emissions by 2040.
Background Discussion:
The Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) regulation became effective October 1, 2019, and requires all public transit agencies to gradually transition their bus fleets to zero-emission technologies. The ICT regulation applies to all transit agencies that own, operate, or lease buses with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 14,000 pounds. It covers standard, articulated, over-the-road, double decker, and cutaway buses. The ICT regulation requires a percentage of new bus purchases to be zero-emission buses (ZEBs) which is electric or hydrogen technology. The ZEB purchase requirements begin in 2023 and 2026 for large and small transit agencies, respectively. The ICT regulation defines a “Large Transit Agency” (13 CCR § 2023(b)(30)) as a transit agency that meets one of the following criteria: (1) It operates either in the South Coast or the San Joaquin Valley Air Basin and operates more than 65 buses in annual maximum service; or (2) It operates outside of these areas, but in an urbanized area with a population of at least 200,000 as last published by the Bureau of Census before December 31, 2017, and has at least 100 buses in annual maximum service. The ICT regulation defines a “Small Transit Agency” (13 CCR § 2023(b)(49)) as all other transit agencies that do not meet the definition of the “Large Transit Agency”.
Visalia Transit operates within the San Joaquin Valley Air Basin and operates 36 buses in annual maximum service making it a Small Transit Agency. Starting January 1, 2026 for Small Transit Agencies, 25% of the total number of new bus purchases in each calendar year must be ZEB. Starting January 1, 2029, 100% of all transit agencies’ new bus purchases must be ZEBs, with a goal of complete transition to ZEBs (all buses in each transit agency’s fleet to be ZEBs) by 2040. Per the ZEB plan, Visalia Transit will be solely electric technology at this time and will be regularly evaluated other ZEB technologies. Currently, there are only two ZEB technologies, hydrogen fuel cell electric and battery electric, available from bus manufacturers. Visalia Transit staff will look at alternative future ZEB technology as it is developed.
The ICT regulation requires each transit agency to submit a complete Zero-Emission Bus Rollout Plan (Rollout Plan) before ZEB purchase requirements take effect. The Rollout Plan should be a living document and is meant to guide the implementation of zero-emission bus fleets and help transit agencies work through many of the potential challenges and explore solutions. Transit agencies should provide estimated timelines based on best available information for their bus purchases, infrastructure upgrades, workforce training, or any other timelines in a Rollout Plan. Once the Rollout Plan is submitted and approved by CARB, a transit agency may update the Rollout Plan as it sees fit. It is recommended, but not required, that updates be resubmitted to CARB.
The components of a Rollout Plan will provide the State with crucial information, such as the probable number of buses to be deployed by each transit agency, which will inform future policy and funding decisions, and other ways State agencies can support transit agencies through this transition. The Rollout Plans will also help fuel providers learn about transit agencies’ infrastructure needs during different stages of transition and help inform decisions regarding what support would best help transit agencies as they develop and expand the needed charging infrastructure. Information provided in the Rollout Plans is necessary to address barriers to implementation.
The Rollout Plan must include all of the required components to be considered complete and must be approved by the transit agency’s governing body through the adoption of a resolution, prior to submitting it to CARB. Small Transit Agencies must submit Rollout Plans by July 1, 2023 (13 CCR § 2023.1(d)(2)).
Required Sections:
• Section A: Transit Agency Information
• Section B: Rollout Plan General Information
• Section C: Technology Portfolio
• Section D: Current Bus Fleet Composition and Future Bus Purchases
• Section E: Facilities and Infrastructure Modifications
• Section F: Providing Service in Disadvantaged Communities
• Section G: Workforce Training
• Section H: Potential Funding Sources
• Section I: Start-up and Scale-up Challenges
Transit is required by the ICT regulations to have a CARB approved Rollout plan for future grant applications. The plan created by Transit staff addresses all required sections stated above and details outlined in the ICT regulations. Staff have also created a replacement schedule that will ensure compliance with the 100% ZEB requirement by 2040. Transit started purchasing only ZEB for the local fixed route, Visalia routes, fleet starting in 2018 and plans to start in 2026 for our cutaway fleet, Dial-A-Ride, with full fleet conversion to zero emission technology by 2038 depending on funding availability and other challenges. Visalia Transit staff will evaluate vehicle type and size before each order. With micro-transit being an option in the future and the need to reimagine transit within Visalia, there may be a need for small vehicles such as sedans, passenger vans, cutaways, or reducing bus sizes from 35-foot to 30-foots. If the type and size of vehicle needs changes, the project cost will change and this plan will be updated at that time.
Visalia Transit’s attached Rollout Plan shows the current fleet and infrastructure, potential funding sources, and technology to be used to comply with this regulation. Staff will replace buses that have met their useful life with battery electric buses (BEB). Currently BEB is the best path forward as the infrastructure at the bus maintenance facility has been installed for up to 17 BEBs and will be easily added to for future expansion of the BEB fleet. The replacement schedule in the rollout plan, depending on funding, will ensure that 84% of our fleet is ZEB by 2033 and 100% by 2038.
The current BEBs in the Visalia Transit fleet are getting less than 150 miles per charge, whereas the average Visalia Transit route is 237 miles per day. Only 14% of the routes Visalia Transit operates are less than 150 miles per day requiring additional vehicles to maintain the current level of service. The schedule indicates expanding the fleet by 24 vehicles from 76 to 100 buses to account for the additional vehicles needed to maintain service throughout the day. BEB technology is improving over time, and Visalia Transit is looking into other manufacturers to evaluate their BEB performance. If the BEB technology improves to a level of performance that it becomes an equal one-to-one replacement compared to our conventional CNG buses, Visalia Transit will reduce the number of spares needed in its fleet.
The rollout plan also indicates potential grant funding to fund the bus replacement schedule and future infrastructure upgrades that will be needed to support the charging of the transit fleet when 100% BEB. Also, with new technology will come additional training to ensure the safety of the drivers, technicians, and the public. BEB increases the safety risk and requires technicians to have additional training to prevent serious injury. In the last two order, and included in the two current BEB orders, Visalia Transit has included technician training, driver training, and first responders training to ensure those working, operating, and responding to an emergency are aware of all the major components to safely interact with the buses and address any issue quickly to prevent harm to the public.
Please note that with Visalia Transit already utilizing battery electric buses, the City is ahead of the curve when compared to other agencies our size who have not yet begun to meet these requirements.
The rollout plan for Transit is intended to be a living document and is based on grant funding to achieve. Staff will be identifying funding sources and aggressively going after competitive grants to fund future bus purchases and facility infrastructure upgrades. This plan is not approving the bus purchases, but only setting a replacement schedule that will ensure Visalia Transit will meet the ICT’s 100% ZEB requirement by 2040. Staff will bring each order and infrastructure upgrade project back to Council for approval. Adherence with Transit’s replacement schedule in the rollout plan is dependent on funding. Finally, if hydrogen technology becomes more feasible as a choice for the City of Visalia, staff will return to City Council for additional discussion and direction. At that time the ZEB rollout plan may be updated.
Fiscal Impact:
Adopting this plan does not result in a fiscal impact at this time. However, Visalia Transit will have future fiscal impacts as Transit progresses through the plan. Transit Staff will bring bus purchases and infrastructure upgrade projects to Council for approval. These future purchases and projects will follow the Rollout Plan.
Prior Council Action:
None.
Other:
None.
Alternatives:
None.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
.recommendation
I move to approve Resolution No. 2023-23 approving Visalia Transit’s Zero-Emission Bus Rollout Plan and authorizing the City Manager to review, approve, and sign future updates to the plan.
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Environmental Assessment Status:
None.
CEQA Review:
None required.
Attachments:
1) Visalia Transit ‘s ZEB Rollout Plan
2) COV Bus Replacement Plan FY23
3) Resolution No. 2023-23.