The Ventura County Transportation Commission has added electric buses to the Coastal Express route, offering cleaner, quieter travel between Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
Operating on Routes 80-89, the new electric buses connect communities across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties thereby reducing emissions and cutting reliance on gasoline-powered vehicles.
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The move aims to promote sustainable transportation while protecting coastal air quality and nearby marine ecosystems. Adding an electric bus fleet represents a major upgrade for the Coastal Express route.
Designed to Reduce Pollution and Environmental Impacts
According to VCTC, the buses produce zero tailpipe emissions and are designed to reduce pollution and environmental impacts across the region. It also noted that the service could replace thousands of car trips annually, helping ease congestion and reduce fuel consumption.
The transition to electric buses is also expected to save thousands of gallons of gasoline each year and support the region’s long-term environmental goals.
The project is a partnership between VCTC and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG). Funding comes from the California Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, reflecting a coordinated effort to invest in cleaner public transit.
Coastal Express Route
The Coastal Express route serves Camarillo, Oxnard, Ventura, Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta, and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).
Beyond Routes 80-89, VCTC operates additional regional services, including Highway 101 routes (50–55), Highway 126 (Route 60), East County routes (70–73X), Cross County (Route 77), and the Channel Islands route (99).
Santa Barbara’s Plan To Achieve Fully Zero-Emission Fleet
Meanwhile, the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (SB MTD) aims to achieve a fully zero-emission fleet by 2030. The agency has a long history with electric transit, having launched one of the first battery-electric bus fleets in the U.S. in 1991.
SB MTD continues expanding its clean energy efforts and now operates one of California’s largest electric bus fleets.
As part of this progress, SB MTD has placed an initial order for four 40-foot battery-electric buses from New Flyer Industries, according to its website.
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That’s awesome! Now let’s get more routes up here! It should be an easy reach out to both Cottage hospitals should have direct lines up for shift change!
BUT Ventura County Transportation Commission needs to get the message out more, themselves! The bus stop signage at the Cottage Goleta stop has years old signage… back to the VISTA days! They need to update this and get the word out that you can take the bus to the airport now!
What will repuglicans and magats cry about or be fearful of next.
Cool. Let’s hope the ridership is decent. The long-standing regional commuter buses are poorly-utilized overall.
Underutilized? The Clean Air Express serves an average of 7,000 riders per month and has previously been described as a popular, cost-effective, and efficient way to commute, boasting record ridership in past years.