AVTA Passes a New Electric Milestone, Six Million Miles of Zero-Emission Bus Operations
Antelope Valley Transit Authority’s electric buses rolled through another significant milestone at the end of August, reaching the six million mile mark on Tuesday, August 31, 2021. As AVTA returned to full service schedule and Antelope Valley residents increase their use of both the local fixed route and commuter services, the agency’s all-electric, zero-emission buses are here to serve the AV community.
AVTA’s zero-emission fleet, the first and largest all-electric local bus fleet in the nation, accumulated six million service miles moving residents of the Antelope Valley around Lancaster, Palmdale, and the unincorporated portions of northern Los Angeles County such as Pearblossom, Littlerock, and Lake Los Angeles.
AVTA continues to record and report the benefits to the community and beyond that are a result of the electrification of AVTA’s fleet. In the six million electric miles, approximately 1,500,000 gallons of diesel fuel have been saved. That equates to a net savings of $1,950,000 in fuel costs after paying for electricity. Additionally, the six million all-electric miles represent a carbon footprint reduction of more than 35.6 million pounds of CO2 and 112,000 pounds of particulate matter.
Since February 2016, when the AVTA Board of Directors voted to award a contract to BYD to manufacture electric buses over a five year period at BYD’s facility in Lancaster, AVTA has been on the path to pioneering battery electric bus transportation. The project has created a smarter, greener, and more interconnected transit system serving the Antelope Valley and areas extending south into the Los Angeles basin and north to Edwards Air Force Base and the Mojave Air and Space Port. By combining groundbreaking electric bus technology with wireless inductive charging technology, AVTA’s innovative bus project is the first of its kind in the nation.
AVTA operates 65 vehicles in their local fixed route fleet, all of which are zero-emission. The non-electric buses are for commuter service only and their all-electric counterparts will started August 2021. The majority of AVTA’s electric fleet consists of BYD electric buses, manufactured in the Antelope Valley.
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.
Antelope Valley Transit Authority’s electric buses rolled through another significant milestone at the end of August, reaching the six million mile mark on Tuesday, August 31, 2021. As AVTA returned to full service schedule and Antelope Valley residents increase their use of both the local fixed route and commuter services, the agency’s all-electric, zero-emission buses are here to serve the AV community.
AVTA’s zero-emission fleet, the first and largest all-electric local bus fleet in the nation, accumulated six million service miles moving residents of the Antelope Valley around Lancaster, Palmdale, and the unincorporated portions of northern Los Angeles County such as Pearblossom, Littlerock, and Lake Los Angeles.
AVTA continues to record and report the benefits to the community and beyond that are a result of the electrification of AVTA’s fleet. In the six million electric miles, approximately 1,500,000 gallons of diesel fuel have been saved. That equates to a net savings of $1,950,000 in fuel costs after paying for electricity. Additionally, the six million all-electric miles represent a carbon footprint reduction of more than 35.6 million pounds of CO2 and 112,000 pounds of particulate matter.
Since February 2016, when the AVTA Board of Directors voted to award a contract to BYD to manufacture electric buses over a five year period at BYD’s facility in Lancaster, AVTA has been on the path to pioneering battery electric bus transportation. The project has created a smarter, greener, and more interconnected transit system serving the Antelope Valley and areas extending south into the Los Angeles basin and north to Edwards Air Force Base and the Mojave Air and Space Port. By combining groundbreaking electric bus technology with wireless inductive charging technology, AVTA’s innovative bus project is the first of its kind in the nation.
AVTA operates 65 vehicles in their local fixed route fleet, all of which are zero-emission. The non-electric buses are for commuter service only and their all-electric counterparts will started August 2021. The majority of AVTA’s electric fleet consists of BYD electric buses, manufactured in the Antelope Valley.
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.
