PANYNJ To Build New Bus Terminal, Include Ports to Charge Electric Buses

Environment New Jersey

New York City – Yesterday the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced it had finally decided on a plan to demolish and rebuild the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City. Construction will take about eight years to complete, estimated to be finished in 2031.

The new bus terminal will be more environmentally friendly than the old terminal in numerous ways. First, it will have charging stations to accommodate the electric buses run by both NJ Transit and private carriers. NJ Transit is mandated to electrify 10% of its new bus sales by 2024, and 100% by 2032 according to New Jersey’s EV Law (S2252/A4819). Second, the new bus terminal will have storage for 350 buses, to prevent buses leaving the terminal empty because there is no space for them to reload. Third, it will be larger and therefore have space for bigger, articulated and double-decker buses, which carry more passengers, to fit in the facility.

Hayley Berliner, Clean Energy Associate with Environment New Jersey, issued the following statement:

“Electric buses are the future of transportation, and we are encouraged to see the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey incorporating electric bus charging infrastructure into the design of the new Bus Terminal. This will not only help speed up New Jersey Transit’s transition to electric buses, which they are mandated to do, but it will encourage  private bus carriers to electrify their bus fleets as well.

“We want to thank Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton and Board Chairman Kevin O’Toole for including the necessary electrification elements into the bus terminal design. It is imperative that we provide electric bus charging infrastructure to clean up the air and protect both New Jerseyans and New Yorkers from dirty diesel pollution.”

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