Sonoma County supervisors have approved the purchase of seven all-electric, locally made transit buses at a net cost of $1.2 million.
The buses will 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 new buses are expected to arrive in November 2026 and will run on Sonoma County Transit’s main intercity routes operating between Monte Rio, Santa Rosa and Sonoma and between Petaluma, Santa Rosa and Cloverdale.
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, according to county officials.
“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.
Rabbit described the purchase of the seven buses as enhancing “safe, healthy mobility for residents, including essential access to major medical, educational and commercial centers across the county.”
The new buses were ordered from Gillig, a Livermore-based manufacturer that has produced electric buses since 2019.