San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) Board of Directors has voted in favour of introducing the Iris Rapid 227 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) fully-electric route to serve passengers in the South Bay.
The new service is expected to begin as early as this autumn to connect Otay Mesa Transit Center to neighbourhoods in San Diego’s South Bay.
It will also connect riders with the UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley at the Iris Avenue Transit Center, providing a link to employment and education centres in downtown San Diego and UTC.
The high-frequency, limited-stop route aims to transport people more quickly than traditional local bus services, using dedicated lanes and transit signal priority.
Nathan Fletcher, MTS Board Chair and San Diego County Supervisor, District 4 said:The beginning of the region’s first electric Rapid route is a huge leap forward towards a greener future, environmental justice, sustainability and better air quality.
When Iris Rapid is in full operation, MTS will have 25 electric buses operating in its fleet, with hundreds more on the way. This will be a great milestone to reach as we transition to an all-zero emissions bus fleet by 2040.
New Flyer, a subsidiary of NFI, is currently manufacturing 12 battery-electric buses to operate on the Iris Rapid route.
The new vehicles will be based at MTS’s bus facility in Chula Vista, where construction is now being finalised on an 8.5 million USD overhead gantry charging system.
The total cost of the Rapid 227 project is 37 million USD, which includes the purchase of vehicles and the necessary infrastructure.
