By Lookout Staff

April 10, 2026 -- The Transportation Department Thursday celebrated an "unprecedented" $56 million expansion of Big Blue Bus’s zero-emission fleet and charging infrastructure.

The groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of construction brought together local and State officials, including California Secretary of Transportation Toks Omishakin.

Largely funded through a grant from the State, the expansion "represents a major milestone in Big Blue Bus’s transition to a fully zero-emission fleet," City officials said.

“This project represents more than an infrastructure investment -- it’s a transformation of how we deliver transit service,” Department of Transportation Director (DOT) Anuj Gupta said in a statement.

“We’re building the foundation for a cleaner, more efficient system that benefits our riders, our workforce and our community," Gupta said. "With strong partnerships and a clear roadmap, Big Blue Bus is well positioned to deliver a fully zero-emission system.”

The infrastructure expansion is one of DOT's "largest and most technically complex" capital projects to support the City's sustainability goals, City officials have said.

Of the total grant, $35.5 million will be used to complete the "phased implementation" of an electrification master plan that includes a state-of-the-art charging infrastructure "capable of efficiently powering up to 195 buses," City officials said.

The balance of the grant will "enable the purchase of 73 battery electric buses
and "provide workforce development to operate infrastructure improvements," City officials said.

“This is what progress looks like," Mayor Caroline Torosis said in a statement Thursday. "It’s practical, it’s measurable and it’s moving us forward.

“This systemwide move to cleaner transit is something for our city and residents to be proud of,'" Torosis said. "When transit is reliable and accessible, people choose it, and those choices add up to a healthier, more sustainable city.”

The groundbreaking ceremony comes some three weeks after DOT released an annual report showing the City's municipal bus system topped 10 million riders last year.

The 10,100,208 passengers in Fiscal Year 2024-25 marked the highest ridership since 10,285,930 passengers rode the City's buses in Fiscal Year 2019-20 ("BBB Ridership Hits Recovery 'Milestone,'" March 19, 2026).