In the 2017-2018 academic year, 20 all-electric buses rolled onto the University of California, Irvine (UCI) campus, making it the first campus in the U.S. to completely phase out fossil fuels in its on-campus transportation services. This initiative was voted for and is funded by students, who will pay up to $40 each quarter to student services to cover the bus purchase and operating costs. Individual rides on the shuttle service, the Anteater Express, are free.
Electrifying the bus fleet is part of UCI’s larger Sustainable Transportation program to decrease private vehicle trips around campus. As well as offering a clean energy shuttle service, UCI encourages students, faculty and staff to walk, bike and carpool.
Converting to an all-electric fleet improves air quality, decreases street noise, and helps UCI toward its goal to emit zero greenhouse gases from campus buildings and transportation by 2025. UCI has made the Princeton Review’s Green College Honor Roll for four consecutive years, earning a perfect score on the 2017 list, in recognition of the university’s commitment to clean energy and environmental sustainability.