Arvin has made history as the only city in Kern County to operate five electric buses, with plans to expand to seven by the end of next year, according to Mayor Olivia Calderon.
The electric bus fleet serves 50 stops throughout the city across four routes connecting residents to Bakersfield, Lamont and the Tejon Outlets. Calderon said the initiative addresses transportation challenges in the rural community while improving air quality.
"We know this is a big deal. We live in a rural community, right? To get to different parts of the region, it's on these country roads. Sometimes it could be treacherous, right? Oftentimes we know how costly everything is," Calderon said.
Each bus requires two hours to charge and provides 220 miles of range. All five buses feature WiFi connectivity, benefiting students who depend on public transportation.
"So that when our families are going from, you know, different locations, they can also work. They can also be be connected. Our students, we know that whenever they're coming from Lamont, or Weedpatch or, you know, going to different areas, work to Bakersfield or to the outlets, that they're able to connect and also study and take advantage and be productive during their time on the buses," Calderon said.
In 2022, Arvin became the first city in the county to receive a $2.3 million Federal Transit Administration grant for the second time. The city achieved its goal of making the Arvin Transit Center 100% electric by 2026.
"We're living in a region with some of the worst air quality in the country. And so we want to continue to invest in this way. It feels it's exciting, right? That other folks can also learn from us and hopefully replicate this across the county so that everyone's benefiting from this type of investment," Calderon said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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