AVTA and AVAQMD Deliver Rehabilitated Retired Diesel Bus to Antelope Valley College

On November 4, representatives from Antelope Valley Transit Authority and Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District gathered at Antelope Valley College to deliver a newly rehabilitated diesel bus. This retired diesel bus comes from the AVTA fleet that converted to a 100% battery-electric zero-emission fleet in 2022. 

“AVTA partnered with AVAQMD to rehab the retired 2004 diesel bus so it would meet today’s carb compliant standards,” said AVTA Chairman of the Board Marvin Crist. “The driveline, both the motor and transmission, was remanufactured and repowered. The differential was replaced, and a brand-new diesel cummings ISX motor was installed.”

AVC President Jennifer Zellet received the ceremonial key to this fully restored diesel bus.

City of Lancaster Vice Mayor Marvin Crist, chairman of both the AVTA and AVAQMD boards of directors and Dianne Knippel, Executive Director of the Antelope Valley College Foundation and vice chair of AVTA board of directors, were instrumental in seeing this project through to completion. AVAQMD provided a grant that covered the cost of the project totaling $327,691.28.

AVC plans to use the rehab bus for their sports department.

The diesel bus was retired by AVTA having completed its useful life. Typically, this means that a bus reached 500,000 miles or was more than 12 years old. In the case of this bus, AVTA retired and repurposed the now 20-year-old bus when the entire fleet converted to battery-electric bus manufactured by BYD/RIDE at their Lancaster facility.

“Partnerships like this are how a healthy community operates,” continued Chairman Crist. “Organizations can work together to produce direct benefit for our community as a whole, while still accomplishing their individual goals and directives.”

AVTA’s 100% battery-electric fleet, the first and largest 100% electric fleet in North America, serves the Antelope Valley and areas extending south into the Los Angeles Basin. By using groundbreaking zero emission battery electric bus technology and wireless inductive charging technology, AVTA's innovative bus conversion helped pioneer a new vision for what a 21st century transit agency can accomplish.

AVTA provides local, commuter and dial-a-ride service to a population of more than 450,000 residents in the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale as well as the unincorporated portions of northern Los Angeles County. Its total service area covers 1,200 square miles and it is bounded by the Kern County line to the north, the San Bernardino County line to the east, the Angeles National Forest to the south, and Interstate 5 to the West.   

###