Santa Clara Valley transit riders will access cleaner, green rides as federal funds flow in to build up VTA’s Zero-Emission bus technology. 
 
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced the award of 15 million dollars in federal funding to help VTA build up its zero-emission bus technology and enhance workforce development by retraining existing workers and recruiting and training new workers in operating and maintaining buses powered by new technology. 

 
The funding will enhance VTA’s transition to zero-emission technology with on-route chargers for Battery Electric Buses at the Milpitas Transit Center, a key multi-modal transit hub. The on-route chargers will extend the range the electric buses can travel.  
 
The federal grant will also help VTA install additional depot chargers at its Cerone bus yard.  VTA currently has ten battery electric buses in its fleet.  Like all California transit agencies, VTA must have a fully zero-emission fleet by 2040. 
 
In addition, this federal funding will be applied to 6 battery electric buses and charging infrastructure for the City of Mountain View’s Community Shuttle Service.  
 
The 15.6 million dollar funding is made possible through President Biden’s 2021 Infrastructure Law, supported by South Bay congressional representatives Khanna, Eshoo, and Lofgren, and California U.S. Senators Padilla and Feinstein. 
 
VTA’s on-route charging pilot will start around 2024/2025, and Mountain View's electric buses are scheduled to hit the road as soon as 2026.