SamTrans is moving ahead with its plans to transition from diesel to a hydrogen fuel cell electric fleet, with 10 buses already in operation and a recently approved $17 million contract for a permanent fueling station.
To comply with regional and state climate goals, transit agencies throughout the Bay Area have begun to transition to zero-emissions buses, however, the approaches have been mixed, with some more focused on battery electric than hydrogen. In San Francisco, Muni mostly operates electric trolley buses, diesel-electric hybrids and battery electric. SamTrans is leaning more heavily on hydrogen fuel cell buses — purchasing 118 such vehicles — and approving 37 battery electric vehicles over the last several years.
“We have 10 40-foot fuel cell electric buses from New Flyers in service since March 2025, and we have driven about 21,000 miles from March to April according to our data,” Zhiming Fan, director of infrastructure and capital projects, said. “These buses have been fueled by an interim portable hydrogen fueling station that was purchased from Plug Power.”
The new permanent fueling station will be located at the North Base facility in South San Francisco, costing about $17 million for construction and about $1.7 million for maintenance services for three years. The funds are mostly coming from the ARCHES program, which comprises a mix of state and federal funds focusing on hydrogen projects.
“Every step we take toward a zero-emission fleet is a step toward cleaner air and healthier communities,” Jeff Gee, chair of the SamTrans board of directors, said in a press release. “This fueling station enables us to scale up responsibly while ensuring reliable service for our riders today and for future generations. The Board is committed to positioning SamTrans as a regional leader in clean transportation.”
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But hydrogen fuel cell electric buses have also drawn skepticism. Several public commenters during the July 2 board meeting raised concerns about hydrogen sources’ dependence on fossil fuels and higher maintenance costs, not to mention safety risks.
“I want to really caution SamTrans or any transit agency in pursuing a hydrogen strategy,” Adrian Brandt, who is also a member of the Caltrain Citizens Advisory Committee, said. “Hydrogen is an extremely potent greenhouse warming potential gas. This was something that wasn’t well known until not that long ago.”
The new fueling station would be able to fuel the 118 buses and is expected to be completed in 2027.
Note to readers: The story has been updated to reflect that Adrian Brandt is a member of the Caltrain Citizens Advisory Committee, not SamTrans.
“Every step we take toward a zero-emission fleet is a step toward cleaner air and healthier communities,” Jeff Gee,
This is coming from a Redwood City council member - a group of people who haven't installed useful bike lanes since 2016. They also have 20 schools with no bike lanes and no Safe-Routes-To-School project to speak off.
SamTrans is an organization that has never explored bus lanes on El Camino - where they would be useful. But now they pretend to install a "Dumbarton Bus Corridor" for 150M, when the "Dumbarton Railroad Corridor" was projected to cost $3B and was terminated.
Also not mentioned in this article at all is the fact that SamTrans had the chance to move its North Base away from its current Island spot and to higher ground. They foolishly did not.
Imagine the cost to protect all that electrical equipment and those expensive buses from Sea Level Rise - just ask the airport.
And last but not least, SamTrans promised to finally increase its amount of bus shelters from 16% to ... [feel free to enter your own made up number here].
So far a three year project has not installed even one new bus shelter.
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(2) comments
“Every step we take toward a zero-emission fleet is a step toward cleaner air and healthier communities,” Jeff Gee,
This is coming from a Redwood City council member - a group of people who haven't installed useful bike lanes since 2016. They also have 20 schools with no bike lanes and no Safe-Routes-To-School project to speak off.
SamTrans is an organization that has never explored bus lanes on El Camino - where they would be useful. But now they pretend to install a "Dumbarton Bus Corridor" for 150M, when the "Dumbarton Railroad Corridor" was projected to cost $3B and was terminated.
Also not mentioned in this article at all is the fact that SamTrans had the chance to move its North Base away from its current Island spot and to higher ground. They foolishly did not.
Imagine the cost to protect all that electrical equipment and those expensive buses from Sea Level Rise - just ask the airport.
And last but not least, SamTrans promised to finally increase its amount of bus shelters from 16% to ... [feel free to enter your own made up number here].
So far a three year project has not installed even one new bus shelter.
Electric Samtrans Carriages should be recalled, they're NOT ready.
The Electric bus I road on had 2 huge BAD flaws.
It did not go up the minor hill between Ralston/Alameda and Cipriani, and suffered a 'Roll-back' issue.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.