265 new electric buses to start rolling on NYC streets

Following last week’s launch of congestion pricing, the MTA said on Friday that it would purchase another 265 electric buses to upgrade its fleet.

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said at a press conference in Jamaica, Queens, on Jan. 10 that this is the first project to become “unlocked” by congestion pricing after the controversial program was unpaused on Nov. 18.

It also builds on the 60 zero-emission buses that came to the city last year and is in addition to the 205 the MTA said is slated for late 2025.

“The latest batch of electric buses builds on the zero-emissions progress we made at various depots last year, and together with what was done at a recent announcement, it’s 265 zero-emissions buses slated to come to various depots beginning later this year,” Lieber said. 

With so much electric rolling stock on the way, the MTA will build more charging infrastructure at various depots to keep the buses powered up. The new Jamaica depot, which will open in 2027, will be outfitted with charging stations for the new fleet. 

Some environmental experts have said the MTA’s electric bus acquisition will help improve air quality in New York. Electric buses replace fossil fuels, releasing less carbon into the air. 

“Electric vehicles (EVs) typically have a smaller carbon footprint than gasoline cars, even when accounting for the electricity used for charging, plus they are far more efficient when it comes to energy use,” the U.S. EnivronmentalProtection Agency states on its website. 

The MTA’s goal is to make all buses zero emissions by 2040. 

“Zero-emissions buses mean a reduction in harmful pollutants and better public health outcomes, not to mention a more sustainable and more inclusive transit system,” Lieber said.

Frank Annicaro, senior vice president of NYC Transit Buses, underscored the importance of electric buses in keeping the air cleaner, especially in communities with bus depots.

“Prioritizing communities like Jamaica for these new emissions-free buses will bring cleaner air to communities that need it,” Annicaro said. “This is especially true in neighborhoods surrounding bus depots like this one. Soon the diesel exhaust from buses coming in and out of this depot will be a thing of the past.” 

On May 17, 2024, the MTA installed charges at the Grand Avenue Bus Depot in Maspeth, Queens, funded with $70 million in federal money. The agency’s Michael J. Quill Depot in Midtown, Manhattan, is also outfitted with chargers.

Although many experts say electric vehicles are environmentally friendly, they are not risk-free.

In 2022, an electric transit bus in Hamden, CT, caught fire while it was parked inside a maintenance facility. No one died in the fire, but two transit maintenance workers suffered smoke inhalation and a fireman suffered heat exhaustion. The three victims were treated at a local hospital.

According to a federal investigation, the cause of the fire was due to battery cell damage from coolant that had leaked into the battery enclosure, which started a chemical reaction.

Other congestion-pricing projects to improve public transportation

Meanwhile, the MTA said that more improvements are on the way to public transportation, including work on the Second Avenue Subway Phase 2, modern signals for the A train in Brooklyn, and another “big package” of ADA-accessible train stations.

“We’ve been knocking these out five times as fast as the MTAs in the past, and we’re advancing yet another set now that congestion pricing is moving forward,” Lieber said.