To expand sustainable transportation options and reduce vehicle emissions, the Illinois EPA announced the state received $58 million in funding to deploy over 50 new, fully electric public transit buses across the Chicagoland area, thanks to strong support from State Senator Cristina Castro.

“PACE is an essential service, carrying commuters, shoppers, travelers, seniors and families to and from Chicago and hundreds of other suburban communities,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Funding for all-electric buses supports the vital connections PACE fosters while also improving health outcomes, reducing emissions, saving costs and growing our clean energy economy.”

Through Illinois’ share of Volkswagen settlement funding, the Chicago Transit Authority and PACE are each replacing a fleet of old diesel buses with 57 new, all-electric buses. In the 22^nd District, these dollars will support PACE’s ongoing strategy to transition to a fully zero-emission fleet by 2040 through its Project Zero initiative.

The new funding builds on Castro’s work to make Illinois a leader in fighting climate change. In recent years, she championed legislation looking to transition school buses in Illinois to all-electric by 2035 and a measure that sought to create a grant program to help school districts make this transition.

“Suburban residents have limited options when it comes to cheap, reliable and clean transportation,” Castro said. “Thanks to this funding, we are incentivizing cleaner, healthier alternatives that will benefit everyone in our communities.”

To learn more about the Illinois EPA’s plan for distributing additional settlement funds, visit the Driving a Cleaner Illinois website.