CTA could purchase its last diesel bus in the next four years as it works to convert to entirely electric buses by 2040, according to a new agency report.
Meeting that goal will come with a hefty price tag, and will take significant work on top of buying new buses, the report found. The work includes upgrades to existing buildings and installing electric chargers.
The findings are part of a study commissioned by CTA that lays the groundwork for a transition to all electric buses. CTA has previously pledged to have an all-electric bus fleet by 2040, and the report outlines what it will take to get there.
It also outlines CTA’s plans to prioritize electric routes on Chicago’s South and West sides, taking into account what the agency described as equity and environmental justice considerations. Specific routes that could be next up for electrification are still being discussed, CTA spokesman Brian Steele said, but the agency said in a statement that routes serving the 95th Street Red Line station could be electrified in the coming years.
“Compared to diesel buses, electric buses emit less local air pollution that is harmful to public health, which is particularly important in neighborhoods on Chicago’s South and West Sides, where populations with health-related vulnerabilities represent a greater portion of residents and where air quality is often worse,” the report found.
As CTA plans for all electric buses by 2040, target dates at other large transit systems vary. New York City is also aiming for 2040. Los Angeles is eyeing 2030.
CTA now has 11 electric buses running on the busy No. 66 Chicago route, and more that are in its possession but aren’t yet running. The agency expects to add more buses to have a total of 25 running this year.
But it will take significantly more electric buses to convert the entire fleet. CTA has more than 1,800 diesel buses that will need to be replaced. The agency must also figure out where and how to charge the buses to allow them to run full, efficient routes.
“You cannot run an electric fleet unless you have the charging infrastructure to support it,” Steele said.
The report estimates converting all CTA buses to electric will reduce emissions that contribute to climate change and respiratory and cardiovascular problems.
Brian Urbaszewski, director of environmental health programs for the Respiratory Health Association, said that is particularly important on the South and West sides of the city, where air quality is often worse and socioeconomic factors make health outcomes worse. Cleaner buses, which operate frequently in dense neighborhoods, can have a meaningful effect, he said.
“If you’re going to try to clean up air to reduce the medical impacts, you’d want to provide as many resources as you can to those areas that are most vulnerable to reduce those outcomes,” he said.
The Respiratory Health Association and the University of Chicago in 2020 released a study that found a higher prevalence of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease near busy bus routes and garages.
Eliminating diesel buses could help, Urbaszewski said. And the timing of the transition to coincide with a new Illinois energy law could compound the benefits of switching to electric buses, as generation of the electricity that will power the buses moves away from fossil fuels, he said.
The report calls for CTA to purchase its last diesel bus by 2026. The buses are expected to run for 14 years, which would mean the last diesel bus would be phased out by 2040, in line with CTA’s goal.
Diesel buses are reaching the end of their life and are being replaced before then. CTA recently budgeted for 100 new diesel buses in 2022, with the option to buy up to 500 more in future years, Steele said.
How many diesel buses CTA ultimately buys will depend on how quickly the conversion to electric is moving, he said. And that will depend in part on funding.
The report puts the price tag for the transition to electric between $1.8 billion and $3.1 billion, on top of the cost of maintaining existing buses and facilities. That doesn’t take into account other expenses likely to be part of the conversion, like a new garage and upgrades to existing buildings.
CTA is hoping the new federal infrastructure law covers a big part of the expense, Steele said. The agency is also looking at other federal and state funding, and, depending on what it ultimately gets, might use some of its own dollars, he said.
The report identified one key challenge for CTA: The agency can reasonably expect about 88% of its bus routes to be able to transition to all electric as technology improves. Converting the rest of the bus service to electric will likely mean other changes.
Steele said CTA would not need to cut service to fully electrify its bus routes. Rather, the agency could consider dividing up long bus runs or installing more chargers throughout a bus route, he said.
Advocates had previously expressed frustration at the pace of CTA’s conversion to electric buses. Urbaszewski said while he wants the transition to take place as quickly as possible, he knows it is a process, and CTA’s time frame seems reasonable.
Kyle Whitehead, spokesman for the Active Transportation Alliance, agreed. While he applauded the move toward electric, he said CTA must still work to improve transit service. Better service will attract more riders, which is also better for the environment, he said.
“This is a strategy to make buses cleaner, which we’re all onboard with and excited about,” he said. “But we also need a strategy to make buses faster and more reliable.”
