WASHINGTON –The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today recognized the exemplary efforts of Everett Transit for its plans to electrify its bus fleet within five years to combat climate change. Everett Transit's work, part of FTA's Sustainable Transit for a Healthy Planet initiative, garnered the Snohomish County, WA transit agency an award during FTA's second annual Earth Day event.

Everett Transit received a Champion of the Challenge Award for its ambitious and comprehensive Zero Emission Fleet Transition Plan. The plan sets a road map to transition its entire bus fleet by 2028, including worker training. The agency's electrification efforts thus far – deploying 10 buses – have enabled Everett Transit to reduce approximately 2.2 million pounds of CO2 emissions throughout Snohomish County.

"Transit agencies across the country are greening their fleets, hardening critical infrastructure, and transitioning their workforces to reduce the disproportionate impacts of a warming climate on their communities," said FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez. "I congratulate and thank Everett Transit for its ambitious electrification plan and their work to decrease carbon emissions in Washington."

Created in June 2021 to help advance President Biden's ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals, FTA's Climate Challenge calls on transit agencies to develop strategies to reduce emissions, such as converting fleets to electric buses, making facilities more energy efficient, and generating power through renewable energy sources. Although the transportation sector is the leading emitter of GHGs in the United States each year, the transit industry has long been at the forefront of reducing emissions.

A total of 222 transit agencies from Maine to Hawaii participated in the FTA Climate Challenge. Throughout the year, FTA helped participants advance their goals with technical resources, targeted listening sessions, and peer exchanges.

FTA encourages transit agencies interested in advancing their sustainability and climate goals to sign up for phase 3 of the Sustainable Transit for a Healthy Planet initiative.

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