Action Alerts

Urge New York State legislators to electrify public transit buses

What's At Stake

New York has a vehicle pollution problem. Legislation, called the Green Transit, Green Jobs bill,  offers the blueprint to address a major contributor of climate-altering and health-harming pollution by accelerating  public transportation electrification. New York lawmakers have an opportunity to electrify a form of transportation that millions of New Yorkers rely on every day: buses. Urge your legislators to electrify New York buses today! 

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Transportation accounts for 41 percent of fuel combustion emissions in the state. Of course, these greenhouse gas emissions drive climate change, but beyond that, vehicle pollution is costing the lives of New York residents, alongside billions of public health damages. Each year, more than 2,000 New Yorkers die prematurely from ingesting toxic pollutants from tailpipe emissions. Public health damages cost the state $21 billion annually. These costs, which are borne disproportionately by low-income New Yorkers and New Yorkers of color, could be meaningfully cut by electrifying buses.  

New York already recognized the need to electrify fleets of medium and heavy-duty vehicles with its commitment to electrify school buses in 2022. Like school buses, transit buses run on diesel fuel, which is a known carcinogen and an even more potent source of toxic particulate matter than gasoline.  

Climate advocates and policymakers across the country agree that electrifying our public transportation system is one of the simplest and most effective steps we can take to improve air quality and reduce climate change impacts. Moreover, analysts agree that transit buses are among the vehicle classes most primed for electrification today. 

The opportunity to address this pollution problem comes in the form of the Green Transit, Green Jobs bill which would require that all new buses purchased by New York’s public transit authorities are zero-emissions by 2029. In addition, this bill would ensure that the state faciliatates the creation of good clean energy jobs by offering incentives for procuring buses from companies that provide their workers with good wages, benefits, and safety protections. This is why a range of labor unions have endorsed this policy. 

A win-win, this is crucial policy that would keep New York’s climate mandates within reach, while ensuring the clean energy transition leads to good quality jobs. Send a letter to your New York legislators to prioritize and pass Green Transits, Green Jobs, this session.  

A new Flyer XE60 electric transit bus at charging station in New York City. (Marc A. Hermann / MTA)
An electric transit bus at charging station in New York City. (Marc A. Hermann / MTA)

Delivery to New York Assemblymembers and New York Senators

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