The Port of Oakland Commissioners have approved the purchase of five BYD electric buses to shuttle passengers between the parking facilities at Oakland International Airport (OAK).
The shuttles are expected to enter service in early 2024 and will be the first battery-electric buses to operate at OAK. This move advances the airport’s policy of fully electrifying its shuttle bus fleet, which is currently powered by compressed natural gas (CNG).
Bryant L. Francis, Director of Aviation at the Port of Oakland said;This move by the Port of Oakland commissioners is an important one for OAK. This acquisition will kick off our initiative to shift to an all-electric passenger shuttle bus fleet. We celebrate this progress towards a greener OAK, and we look forward to revealing these new vehicles to our passengers when they begin operations in early 2024.
This purchase is valued at approximately 5.5 million USD. It will be partially funded by federal and state grant programmes, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Improvement Program Zero Emission Vehicle grant.
Following this order, OAK will continue to electrify its buses over the next ten years and switch to a 100 percent zero-emission at the tailpipe fleet.
