A panel within Colorado’s Regional Transportation District will consider transitioning vehicles and buildings to low or zero emissions on Wednesday.

The discussion by the transportation district’s Operations and Safety Committee includes the development of a transition feasibility study and a facilities and fleet transition strategy. Once completed, the plan will outline a replacement schedule and overall cost projections.

Colorado has been hastening its pace of transitioning away from fossil-fired energy to renewable sources. Proponents said the move would allow the state to take advantage of advances in renewable energy technology and help Colorado achieve its overarching goal of zero carbon emissions in a few decades. Critics counter that the transition is too fast and too expensive, particularly for Colorado’s fixed-income residents.

RTD first started working toward a low or zero-emission bus fleet in 2000 with the deployment of hybrid-electric buses using compressed natural gas along the 16th Street Mall. In 2008, the authority introduced hybrid diesel-electric fixed-route buses. MallRide buses were replaced in 2017 by 36 zero-emission battery electric buses.

During the Wednesday meeting, the panel will evaluate a contract with New Flyer of America Inc. for the purchase of 17 battery electric buses. RTD will consider canceling the contract to allow a pause on acquiring new buses until the transition plan is developed.

“Rather than continue down a narrow path that limits the agency to one type of technology, this approach ensures that options can be maximized in a cost-efficient manner. We need to think beyond 17 buses,”  said Debra A. Johnson, RTD’s General Manager and Chief Executive Officer. “RTD is now planning for tomorrow, and for tomorrows to come.”

If approved by panel, work on the plan will likely begin in September. Completion of the plan is anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2024.

The Operations and Safety Committee will meet via Zoom at 5:30 p.m. on April 12.

To register for the April 12 meeting, click here: Zoom meeting.