Sonoma County purchases seven all-electric transit buses in continued shift toward zero-emission public transportation

The Board of Supervisors today approved the purchase of seven battery electric transit buses to replace natural gas-powered buses in the current fleet that have exceeded their 12-year minimum service life required by the Federal Transit Administration. The seven new buses are scheduled for delivery in November 2026 and will be deployed on Sonoma County Transit’s main intercity routes that operate between Monte Rio, Santa Rosa and Sonoma (Routes 20 and 30) and between Petaluma, Santa Rosa and Cloverdale (Routes 44/48 and 60).   

“Sonoma County Transit has been a leader in clean-fuel and low-emission buses since 1996 when it began transitioning from diesel power to natural gas power,” said Supervisor David Rabbitt, chair of the Board of Supervisors. “Today, the Board’s ongoing investment in all-electric public transit will enhance safe, healthy mobility for residents, including essential access to major medical, educational and commercial centers across the county. This purchase helps Sonoma County meet the state requirement that public transit agencies must transition to 100 percent zero-emission bus fleets by 2040.”  

The California Air Resources Board requires that all new public transit buses purchased after 2029 be zero-emission vehicles, with a goal that all fossil-fueled buses in California be retired by 2040. With this purchase, Sonoma County Transit will have approximately 49 percent of its 49-bus fleet electrically powered by the end of 2026.  

The County’s investment will be made using local, state and federal funding sources, including from the Federal Transit Administration, the state’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, and local funds included in the County’s 2024-25 fiscal year adopted budget. The net cost per bus is $1.25 million. 

The new buses were ordered from Gillig, a Livermore-based manufacturer that has produced electric buses since 2019. The company has supplied approximately 500 electric buses nationwide, with 20 percent going to California transit operators, including the Napa Valley Transit Authority and Solano County Transit. 

In 2019, Sonoma County Transit introduced its first all-electric bus with the fare-free Sebastopol Shuttle (Route 24). Since that time, an additional five 30-foot and three 35-foot coaches have been added and are used on local routes in Healdsburg, Rohnert Park/Cotati, and shorter intercity routes from Industry West Park to Downtown Santa Rosa, Sonoma County Airport and Windsor Depot (routes 42 and 62). An additional 30-foot coach, two 35-foot coaches and five 40-foot coaches are on order and anticipated to arrive by September 2025. 

The new buses will have an expected minimum range of 240 miles between charges depending on passenger loads, weather and other factors that impact electric vehicle range. Like the County’s existing fleet, the new buses will feature high-back reclining passenger seats, a video security system, on-board Wi-Fi, the NextBus passenger information system, electronic fareboxes and other safety systems common to Sonoma County Transit buses. 

Sonoma County Transit is a division of the Sonoma County Department of Public Infrastructure. For more information regarding the county’s growing all-electric transit fleet, please call (707) 576-7433, weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or email comments@sctransit.com.   

###
Media Contact:
Dan Virkstis
publicaffairs@sonoma-county.org 
(707) 565-3040