Tell the CTA and RTA to Electrify Their Bus Fleets as Promised
The CTA has committed to fully electrify its bus fleet by 2040, yet its current budget includes a purchase of only 70 electric buses over the next four years.
When the CTA presents its final budget to the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) on Wednesday, December 1, we will have one more opportunity to fight for a cleaner mass transit system.
Take Action
Tell the RTA to move faster to electrify the CTA and Pace bus fleets.
Submit a written comment to the RTA by noon on Tuesday, November 30, the day before the budget hearing. Submit your comment.
Provide a public comment to the RTA Board at the hearing. Join the Zoom from 5–7 pm on December 1 to testify live.
To watch the hearing live, tune in on YouTube.
What You Should Know
New diesel buses would be on the road for 12–15 years, or as late as 2037. The damage from diesel is clear. Besides greenhouse gas emissions that are wreaking havoc on our climate, the particulate pollution from those buses impairs human health.
While both CTA and Pace have committed to zero-emissions fleets by 2040, their budgets show ongoing reliance on fossil fuels in purchases planned for the next five years.
The CTA’s plan includes the purchase of only 70 electric buses over the next four to five years and 500 new diesel buses. CTA's 2040 commitment to an emission-free fleet is not achievable with this capital plan.
Pace’s capital plan includes a demonstration project with six electric buses for the Waukegan service and the purchase of only 46 additional electric buses over the next five years. Pace still plans to buy 88 new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses in the 2022 capital plan and has a contract to purchase 40 CNG buses this year. Any bus purchased will operate well into the 2030s and add significantly to our greenhouse gas emissions.
When accounting for the full environmental impact, including the leakage of methane at refueling stations and in processing, CNG may even be worse for our climate than diesel.
The RTA oversees three transit agencies: CTA, Metra and Pace. We must impress upon the RTA that transportation is currently the top source of greenhouse gas emissions in the nation. Decarbonization of our public transit buses is essential both for public health and to maintain a livable world.