Hawai‘i to Receive Millions to Build Electric Bus Fleet

Millions of dollars in new federal money is heading to Hawai‘i’s neighbor islands to build up a cleaner system of public transportation.

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation will partner with the counties of Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i and Maui to distribute $5.15 million in funding for the purchase of battery electric buses and charging infrastructure for each of the three counties.

“Electric buses make our air cleaner, our roads quieter, and reduce the operating costs of our public transit,” said US Senator Brian Schatz, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing. “Hawai‘i has been a leader in clean energy, and this new federal funding will make it easier for people to get around, while cutting greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.”

Each county will receive funds to help purchase three new electric buses, which will replace diesel buses that have reached the end of their useful life. These funds will help move the state closer to its goal of decarbonizing its economy by 2045.

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation received this grant from the Federal Transit Administration’s Low or No Emission Vehicle Grant Program, which supports transit agencies across the country working to convert their fleets to zero-emission and low-emission alternatives.