US Transit Fleets Have Bought Over 8,000 Zero-emission Buses

Public transit fleets across the country are steadily adopting more zero-emission vehicles despite supply chain challenges, with the number of ZEBs in transit fleets surpassing 8,000 as of July 2025.

According to an article by Alex Roman in Metro Magazine, the latest Zeroing in on ZEBs report from CALSTART shows that “As of July 2025, a total of 8,116 full-size ZEBs have been funded, ordered, delivered, or deployed, representing 16% growth over the July 2024 count. Nearly 1,400 small ZEBs have been adopted nationwide, representing 20% of year-over-year growth.”

California leads the nation with 1,933 battery-electric buses and 690 fuel cell electric buses, followed by New York, Washington, Florida, and Massachusetts. While battery-powered buses remain dominant in the field, more transit authorities are also buying fuel cell electric buses, which surged 49 percent nationwide during the reporting period. 

“Mike Hynes, deputy director of transit at CALSTART, told METRO that it is a positive step that the U.S. transit industry continues to make measurable progress in adopting ZEBs, even as agencies navigate ongoing procurement and manufacturing challenges.” According to Hynes, agencies are “taking a more strategic approach to fleet modernization, assessing their operational needs first and then determining which propulsion technologies best fit those requirements” rather than relying on a single technology.