A cleaner and quieter ride is coming for some Metro Transit users as the agency will buy 20 new electric buses and put them in service on local routes by 2026.

The acquisitions mark the agency's commitment to reduce its carbon footprint and align with Metro Transit's Zero Emission Bus Transition Plan, which calls for the agency to deploy buses powered with alternatives to diesel fuel.

"It's a crucial tool to reach our climate change goals," said Metro Transit General Manager Lesley Kandaras. "Encouraging people to ride transit rather than using their own vehicles can reduce greenhouse gases."

The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gases in the state, accounting for about a quarter of all gases in the atmosphere that trap heat and warm the Earth's surface, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Buses account for less than 1% of greenhouse gas emissions attributed to the transportation sector while light-duty trucks, SUVs, passenger vehicles and heavy trucks are responsible for nearly 75%, the MPCA said.

Metro Transit Chief Operating Officer Brian Funk said the agency asked itself: "How besides being a transit agency providing sustainable options by getting people out of single vehicles are we able to reduce greenhouse emissions?"

"Electric buses provide high-quality transportation with essentially no on-board emissions," he added.

Metro Transit debuted eight 60-foot battery-powered buses in 2019 when it opened the C-Line, the rapid bus route between Brooklyn Center and downtown Minneapolis. Another five electric buses will be rolled out next year and operate on the Gold Line when the rapid route running along I-94 from downtown St. Paul to Woodbury opens.

The new shorter buses will be Metro Transit's first 40-foot buses, the type used on most local routes. The Met Council last week approved a $34 million contract with California-based bus manufacturer Gillig to build the buses and provide charging equipment. A grant from the Federal Transit Administration is covering $21 million of the cost.

Funk said the new buses will allow Metro Transit to use 36,000 fewer gallons of diesel fuel each year.

Metro Transit has not yet identified routes where the battery-powered buses will be used. The agency also plans for 20% of new 40-foot buses it buys in the future to be electric.