The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) is the second largest transit agency in Colorado and the largest rural transit agency, by ridership, in the nation. The agency operates across a demographically and socio-economically diverse rural region, spanning 83 miles, connecting mountain resort communities along SH 82 in the Roaring Fork Valley to workforce communities along I-70 and SH 6 in the Colorado River Valley.
RFTA is requesting proposals from qualified Consultants, or Consulting Teams, to create a Zero Emissions Bus (ZEB) Transition Plan; herein ZEB Plan. As a component of the RFTA Destination 2040 Plan (https://www.rfta.com/2040roadmap/), approved by voters in November 2018, RFTA established a goal out to the year 2040 to maintain a diverse fleet of buses composed of 1/3 diesel, 1/3 compressed natural gas (CNG) and 1/3 zero-emission bus (ZEB). ZEBs are intended to be battery electric bus (BEB) and/or hydrogen fuel cell electric (HFCE).
In the 2019 legislative session, Colorado passed House Bill 19-1261, the Climate Action Plan to Reduce Pollution (“Climate Action Plan”), which includes science-based targets of reducing statewide greenhouse gas pollution 26% by 2025, 50% by 2030, and 90% by 2050 from 2005 levels.
The Colorado Electric Vehicle Plan 2020 established a goal of transitioning 100 percent of transit vehicles in the state to ZEBs no later than 2050 and set an interim target of at least 1,000 transit ZEBs by 2030, which includes rubber-tired conventionally fueled transit buses, cutaways, vans, minivans, and automobiles. Widespread adoption of ZEBs is considered among the most impactful strategies for achieving the 2050 GHG emission reduction goals.
As a tool for implementation, the Transit Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) Roadmap is a comprehensive and adaptable guide for transit agencies, key stakeholders, and the State of Colorado to implement the transit zero emission strategies contained within the 2020 EV Plan and bring clean transit options to all Coloradans. The Transit ZEB Roadmap provides a transit electrification strategy for the State of Colorado to stage, support and incentivize transit agencies to transition toward technologies that achieve the greatest fuel economy, maximize greenhouse gas (GHG) and other emissions benefits, and set the stage for a zero-emission future. The 2020 EV Plan commits the
Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the Colorado Energy Office (CEO), and the Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) to work with transit agencies, electric utilities, and other stakeholders to establish timelines, identify strategies, and dedicate sufficient resources to achieve ZEB transit goals.
Statewide