Pittsburgh Regional Transit will replace diesel buses with electric models to serve the Mon Valley thanks to a $10 million federal grant meant to improve air quality.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyselected Allegheny County on Monday for the grant to replace four, 40-foot diesel buses with zero-emission, electric buses and related charging infrastructure.
The funding is part of the county’s Targeted Airshed Grant, which looks to address environmental and health inequities in the Mon Valley, which is known for its high amounts of industrial pollution and decaying infrastructure.
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said the electric buses should help lower local emissions in the Mon Valley and contribute to the Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s goal of converting its entire fleet to electric by 2045.
“Allegheny County is always looking for new and unique ways to improve the area’s air quality,” said Fitzgerald.
The Mon Valley is a major corridor for public transit vehicles in the region. The valley is served by 23 Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus routes that carry an average of 52,400 riders daily, according to a release.
Countywide, the biggest source of air pollution comes from industrial sources — like the Clairton Coke Works —which are concentrated in the Mon Valley. Air pollution has increased dramatically over the last decade, but the region is still among the worst in the nation. About 25% of all air pollution in the county is emitted from vehicles.
County health department acting director Patrick Dowd said electric buses that don’t emit particulate matter pollution should have a positive effect on public health, as well as help the sustainability of transit agencies.
The electric buses are anticipated to be purchased and put into service in 2026. The four new electric buses will add to Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s growing electric fleet.
As of last September, the agency’s fleet had eight electric buses and 15 more on order to be used for the city’s Bus Rapid Transit line.
