NJ Transit planned electric bus expansion. Then Trump stepped in
Since 2003, at least 10 bus manufacturers have left the U.S. market. Shrinking competition means backlogs at the remaining companies and more expensive buses.
Despite that exodus, the zero-emissions bus manufacturing market shows signs of maturing in the U.S., said Mike Hynes, manager of the national transit bus program at CALSTART, a California-based nonprofit focused on advanced transportation technology.
“There are deployments of these vehicles, in some cases significant deployments, essentially across the country,” Hynes said. “The technology has really progressed to a point where agencies have enough data to make informed decisions. They’re deploying these vehicles at scale in many cases.”
Asked whether the market will be able to flourish given the aggressive actions already taken by the Trump administration, Hynes said there is growing demand to transition to zero-emission vehicles at the state and regional levels that should help support zero-emission bus manufacturers — and possibly shift this administration’s view.