The Board of Public Utilities backed a working group's six-project spending plan, though some members questioned whether city-facility investments would deliver enough direct benefit to customers.
The City Council on Tuesday approved the purchase of two electric buses for Riverside Connect, a move city officials say will help keep paratransit service reliable for seniors and people with disabilities while advancing Riverside's broader clean-fleet goals.
The $753,124.43 purchase from A-Z Bus Sales Inc. of Colton will add the first electric buses to the Riverside Connect fleet, which provides transportation within the city for older adults and residents with disabilities.
The new Micro Bird G5 buses will replace two aging vehicles in the program's 34-vehicle fleet.
Riverside Connect operates seven days a week and provided an average of 350 rides a day in fiscal year 2024-25, traveling more than 437,000 miles, according to a staff report.
City officials said the service helps residents access medical appointments, errands and other daily trips that might otherwise be difficult to complete.
The move also fits into Riverside's broader efforts to reduce emissions from city operations and expand the use of electric vehicles – building on a clean-fleet track record that included being named the No. 1 green fleet in North America by the NAFA Fleet Management Association in 2022 and earning a spot on the organization's Top 50 Green Fleets list in 2025.
Riverside Public Utilities joined California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard Program in 2018, allowing the utility to earn credits for the residential charging of electric vehicles.
Those efforts led to the creation of the Electric Public Transit Program, which the City Council and Board of Public Utilities approved in November 2025.
The program set aside $1 million for fiscal 2025-26 to help fund rebates for city-owned zero-emission buses. City staff said the new bus purchase qualifies for such support.
The city will also receive a point-of-sale discount through the Clean Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP), lowering the cost by $15,037 per vehicle. Riverside Public Utilities will rebate the remaining qualified purchase price after the sale, according to the report.
City staff said the purchase helps Riverside stay aligned with California's Innovative Clean Transit rule, which requires small transit agencies to phase in zero-emission bus purchases beginning this year and move to all zero-emission purchases by 2029.
Officials said the replacement plan also avoids retiring buses before they reach the end of their useful life.
For riders, the change is expected to mean continued service with newer, cleaner buses that should support long-term reliability. For the city, it marks another step toward a greener municipal fleet and a transportation system that is gradually shifting away from fossil fuels.
Civic Engagement Reporter who calls the Inland Empire home. Five years covering SoCal. APU journalism grad. Good conversations over coffee and stories that matter.
The Board of Public Utilities backed a working group's six-project spending plan, though some members questioned whether city-facility investments would deliver enough direct benefit to customers.
