The Anaheim Transportation Network (ATN) will have one of the largest electric bus fleets in the US after receiving a new order of 40 BYD electric buses, and more than half of ATN’s fleet will be zero emission by next year.

The Anaheim Transportation Network’s main flagship program is Anaheim Resort Transportation (ART), a network of 19 interchangeable bus routes that serve more than 70 stops in and around Anaheim and Orange County, including local resorts and attractions such as Disneyland. ART has a fleet of 81 buses, all of which are either all-electric or run on liquified natural gas (LNG).

ATN will be replacing some of its aging LNG buses with the addition of these 40 new all-electric buses. We’ve contacted ATN for more details on the exact breakdown of the fleet, and we’ll update if we learn more.

The transportation network received $28.6 million in grant funding from the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) through its Transit Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) to purchase the buses. The grant also provides funding for 10 small-capacity all-electric vehicles, and a solar-powered maintenance facility to accommodate the new fleet of vehicles.

ATN made that announcement a few weeks ago, but Tuesday, electric bus maker BYD announced it would be supplying the 40 all-electric buses.

The fleet will add a number of different BYD buses, ranging from the 30-foot BYD K7M to the articulated 60-foot K11M. BYD notes that one-half of the order will consist of 40-foot BYD K9M buses. ATN Executive Director Diana Kotler said in a statement,

“We’ve been operating four of BYD’s 40-foot K9Ms on our routes over the past two years, and based on their performance, we are confident in BYD’s quality product and their support of our efforts to electrify our fleet. These new buses will provide ATN a 57 percent zero-emission fleet by 2020.”

Considering a recent order of 20 electric buses by the University of Georgia will give that university one of the largest electric bus fleets in the US, ATN’s fleet will be included among those ranks as well — if not leading the way in the nation. ATN has previously expressed a goal to make its bus fleet fully electric.

Electrek’s Take

The Anaheim Transportation Network is pushing to become one of the true leaders of electric bus adoption in the US. While this falls far behind the likes of what’s happening with electric buses in China, Vietnam, or France (just for starters) it’s still very important, both in terms of reducing emissions and furthering the presence of electric buses in the US.

We also love how funding was provided for a solar-powered maintenance facility, presumably providing clean electricity for clean-running buses.

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