New Jersey lawmakers are touting NJ Transit’s (NJT) effort to secure Department of Transportation (DOT) funding to purchase zero-emission and low-emission transit buses and build recharging, refueling, and maintenance facilities.
Sens. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), in addition to Reps. Albio Sires (D-NJ) and Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) said the more than $7 million funding allotment would purchase up to eight, 40-foot, battery-electric buses (BEB) slated to operate from the Hilton Garage in Maplewood. The buses would expand service along bus line No. 25, which runs through Newark and Irvington, officials said.
“These green buses will help modernize our state’s public transportation system, increase service for thousands of commuters, and improve air quality in areas of our state with some of the highest asthma rates,” Menendez, ranking member of the Senate’s transit subcommittee, said. “Investing in this greener, cleaner technology benefits public health, strengthens our economy, reduces our dependence on fossil fuels, and improves residents’ quality of life.”
Menendez and Booker introduced the Clean Economy Act in February. The bill placed the nation on a path to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by no later than 2050.
“This bus fleet will go a long way toward providing New Jersey residents and commuters with better access to modern, efficient, and more sustainable public transportation, particularly in communities of color that are disproportionally impacted by environmental pollutants,” Booker said. “Investing in infrastructure that makes our communities healthier, commuters’ lives easier, and strengthens our local economy is a win for all New Jerseyans.”