The Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) extends our sincere congratulations to Administrator Nuria Fernandez on her retirement as Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Administrator Fernandez was a diligent supporter of zero-emission technologies in the transit market. Under her leadership, the U.S. Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) industry witnessed an increase in the total number of zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs) on the road, awarded, or on order - doubling from nearly 3,000 ZEVs to more than 5,000.

CTE appreciates Administrator Fernandez’s continued support of the Transit Vehicle Innovation Deployment Centers (TVIDC) as part of FTA’s Research, Demonstration, and Innovation Program. Through TVIDC, the FTA collaborates with the industry to address challenges, increase efficiency, and reduce the costs and risks associated with deploying zero-emission vehicles in transit operations. Under her leadership, the TVIDC program expanded FTA’s investment in overcoming the obstacles and barriers transit agencies and vehicle manufacturers face. The expansion of the program ensured that $5.5 billion invested in ZEBs through the Low and No Emission Bus Program reflected industry advancements in medium-and heavy-duty markets, including advancements in battery electric and fuel cell technologies.

Administrator Fernandez’s foresight in addressing challenges and barriers, while folding in key stakeholder input from day-one, has significantly shaped the zero-emission transit sector. Over the past four years, the transit market has faced numerous challenges: inflation and supply chain delays affecting transit agencies, Transit Vehicle Manufacturers (TVMs) exiting the U.S. market accompanied by barriers to entry, and charging infrastructure undergoing needed improvements and innovation. While challenges still remain, the FTA and Administrator Fernandez thoughtfully engaged with CTE to facilitate meaningful discussions between industry stakeholders and fund the research needed to address these issues. Administrator Fernandez’s work signifies significant progress in the efforts to support the public transit industry the first transportation sector to completely decarbonize.

Once again, CTE would like to extend congratulations to Administrator Fernandez and looks forward to continuing our work with the FTA to make zero-emission technologies a reality.

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