Rep. Titus Celebrates New Electric Buses at RTC

From left: Isaac Barron, RTC vicechair and North Las Vegas councilman; Dwayne McClinton, director of Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy; Marie Steele, vice president of integrated energy services at NV Energy; Rep. Dina Titus; Kristee Watson, Nevada Conservation League executive director; RTC CEO M.J. Maynard; Boulder City Mayor Joseph Hardy; RTC Board Chair and Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones.

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC), along with Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), NV Energy and the Nevada Conservation League, celebrated the addition of four battery electric buses to the RTC transit fleet at a recent unveiling.

“As a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I helped craft and pass multiple pieces of legislation that improve connectivity in Southern Nevada while protecting our environment,” said Rep. Titus. “Today we see the results with crucial funding from the Federal Transit Administration that will enable the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada to procure four battery-electric buses. These investments, particularly in green technologies like zero-emission buses, will have far reaching benefits for our community, such as reducing carbon emissions and improving public health.”

The four 40-foot battery electric buses can store approximately 525kWh on board. Offering a smoother, quieter and vibration-free ride, the new buses do not emit greenhouse gases, making them a vital tool in reducing air pollution in urban areas. This addition comes on the heels of the RTC’s August 2023 launch of two hydrogen-fuel-cell electric buses, which are also environmentally friendly and do not produce greenhouse gas emissions.

“The evolution of NV Energy’s electric vehicle programs—including the creation of the Transit Electrification Grant—that supported RTC of Southern Nevada’s introduction of electric buses into their fleet would not be possible without the partnership and commitment from the Nevada Legislature, the Nevada Public Utilities Commission and so many others,” said Marie Steele, NV Energy vice president of integrated energy services. “At NV Energy, we are proud to continue to support our community’s decarbonization efforts and bring more federal funding back to Nevada, with a commitment to providing for historically underserved communities, which is exactly where these buses will travel.”

The new buses are funded by 5307 Formula Fund and NV Energy’s Economic Recovery Transportation Electrification Plan grants.