New Fuels, New Choices: Opportunities and Challenges for the Future of Transit

ROLAND CORDERO
Director of Maintenance & Vehicle Technology
Foothill Transit
West Covina, CA

LISA JERRAM
Senior Director, Bus Operations & New Vehicle Technologies
APTA

and LINDA GILL ANDERSON
Senior Director, Membership
APTA

As public transit agencies work to reduce emissions, improve energy resilience, and modernize aging fleets, new and alternative fuels are becoming an increasingly important part of the industry’s strategic conversation. While battery-electric buses receive significant attention, fuels such as propane and hydrogen may offer important opportunities for agencies whose service demands, facilities, and budgets require a broader range of solutions.

This is the new era of fuel and propulsion choices.

While diesel has long been the backbone of bus operations, growing environmental expectations, public policy goals, technology advances, and funding opportunities are encouraging agencies to consider alternatives such as propane and hydrogen. The challenge for transit leaders is not simply selecting the newest technology, but determining which solution best fits their service, facilities, workforce, and long-term strategy.

Joel Stutheit, senior manager, Autogas Business Development at the Propane Education & Research Council said, “For transit agencies with paratransit and on-demand operations, propane autogas provides a practical, cost-effective pathway to reduce emissions without the cost and complexity of a complete fleet transformation.”

As low-emission vehicles, propane buses remain eligible for FTA’s Low- or No-Emission Grant Program. However, propane is not a zero-emission fuel. Lisa Jerram, APTA senior director of bus operations and new vehicle technologies said, “Agencies pursuing aggressive climate or zero-emission goals—like in California, which has set a goal of 100 percent zero emission bus fleets by 2040—must consider how propane fits into a longer–term transition strategy.”

Hydrogen presents a different and potentially transformative opportunity. Fuel-cell buses produce electricity onboard and have no tailpipe emissions other than water vapor.

Reginald D. Haywood Jr., senior manager of Toyota Hydrogen Solutions said, “Fuel-cell buses offer the potential for longer range and faster refueling with zero local tailpipe emissions, making them particularly attractive for demanding routes with elevation, high daily mileage, and agencies that need flexibility in vehicle scheduling that may need vehicles for constant use.”

Yet, hydrogen’s promise comes with significant challenges. The cost and availability of hydrogen, fueling infrastructure, vehicle purchase prices, and the complexity of producing or delivering low-carbon hydrogen remain major barriers. Agencies must also make substantial investments in facility modifications, safety systems, and workforce training. The transition requires new technical skills for drivers, mechanics, emergency responders, and facility personnel.

For transit leaders, the greatest opportunity may be to move beyond the question, “Which fuel is best?” There is unlikely to be one answer for every agency or every route. The future may instead involve a portfolio of solutions—propane and other low-emission technologies serving as practical transition options, while hydrogen and battery-electric vehicles expand the zero-emission toolkit.

Federal investment in the Low- or No-Emission Grant Program continues to support this transition, recognizing propane as a low-emission technology and hydrogen fuel-cell buses as a zero-emission option. Roland Cordero at Foothill Transit said that agencies need to choose “the right energy solution for the right operation at the right time. Our plan, like others, is to analyze operational needs, prepare the transit workforce, and make fuel decisions based on total lifecycle value—not simply the technology generating the most attention.”