Press Releases

Today, Congressman Salud Carbajal announced $5,467,019 in new federal funding that will help the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transportation District (MTD) and San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority (RTA) purchase battery-electric buses and chargers.

Santa Barbara MTD is receiving $2,894,131 and San Luis Obispo RTA is receiving $2,572,888 in Federal Transit Administration funding made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the 2021 infrastructure package crafted and passed by Rep. Carbajal, his colleagues, and the Biden-Harris Administration.

“Putting zero-emission buses on the roads of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo will help keep our air clean, reduce our region’s carbon footprint, and improve public transit reliability by installing new buses to serve Central Coast residents,” said Rep. Carbajal. “This is just the latest in what has been almost three years worth of investments from our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which I was proud to help pass last term. With nearly $1 billion already delivered for the Central Coast, this law is truly delivering once-in-a-generation investments that are raising the quality of life on the Central Coast.”

“Today, 117 communities, including Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, are receiving the good news that their transit buses are being modernized and their commutes improved through President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The Biden-Harris Administration is helping agencies across 47 states replace old buses running on dirty, expensive fuels by delivering modern and zero-emission buses, manufactured by American workers, that will connect more people to where they need to go.”

“We are excited to benefit from this FTA grant, which will help grow our zero-emission fleet that provides vital transit service to our community. This continues MTD’s decades-long commitment to clean and efficient public transportation on the South Coast,” said Jerry Estrada, Santa Barbara MTD General Manager.

“The RTA Board of Directors is thrilled that our project was awarded almost $2.6 million in Federal Transit Administration funding. This discretionary funding will partially fund the purchase of four battery-electric buses to replace diesel powered buses that have reached the end of their economically useful lives, along with recharging dispensers. Our transition to zero-emission buses is already underway, and this new funding will allow us to accelerate this transition sooner than we would have been able to otherwise. It will allow us to continue providing great transportation for our communities while also advancing our climate goals in San Luis Obispo County,” said Andy Pease, President of the San Luis Obispo RTA Board of Director and member of the San Luis Obispo City Council.

To date, the office of Rep. Carbajal estimates the Central Coast has received more than $950 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support airport and highway improvements, rail and water infrastructure upgrades, expansion of high-speed internet connectivity, harbor and public space maintenance, and more.

A map of these and other investments can be found at Invest.gov.