NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Public transportation across the county is getting a clean-up, and New Mexico is set to get more than $25 million for cleaner buses from a federal program.
“We’re witnessing a major and long-overdue moment of opportunity to roll out cleaner buses on our roads. Transit agencies across the country are eager for funding to clean up their fleets, as we’ve seen from the high demand for these grants,” Eric Willadsen, campaign representative with the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign, said in a press release. “Residents across the country can benefit from cleaner air and reduced climate pollution; however, arbitrary caps on how funding can be distributed are a major barrier to maximizing community benefits from zero-emission buses.”
The cash comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In New Mexico, both the City of Albuquerque and the New Mexico Department of Transportation are getting funds for cleaner buses.
Albuquerque is set to get over $18 million to buy battery-electric buses and chargers for ABQ Ride routes. The new buses will replace old diesel buses. The New Mexico Department of Transportation will get more than $7 million for upgrades in Taos and north-central New Mexico.
