Welcome
to the Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative
309 North Aurora Street | Ithaca, NY 14850 | info@tccpi.org
New Hybrid TCAT Buses Coming to Ithaca
Two diesel hybrid buses are undergoing final checks before they make the nearly 3,000-mile road trip across the U.S. from the San Francisco Bay Area. In the coming days, specially trained cross-country bus drivers will shepherd the vehicles to their new home in Ithaca.
On Wednesday morning, TCAT General Manager Matthew Rosenbloom-Jones was at bus manufacturer Gillig’s plant in Livermore, California while he spoke with The Ithaca Voice. He had just signed the final paperwork to purchase the hybrid buses.
Once in Ithaca, he anticipates the new buses will be able to run their regular routes for two days on a single tank of fuel. They’re are expected to last between 12 and 14 years, or half a million miles, and cost TCAT $932,867 each.
“We’ve had hybrids in the past,” Rosenbloom-Jones said. “But these [new vehicles] are a much more advanced bus than what’s available on those [older] buses. The technology has really improved quite a bit. They are like a different generation of bus, but we’re familiar with the basic concept.”
While the new hybrid buses will still use diesel fuel, they boast new technology which allows them to switch between electric and conventional power in a more strategic manner.“
"[One new feature] basically allows the bus to shut down the diesel engine in a specific geographic area, so the bus runs in all electric mode,” Rosenbloom-Jones said. “So areas that are particularly sensitive to noise or pollution would benefit a lot from this feature.”
The hybrid buses will also rely more on their electric power when moving slowly or idling more frequently. Rosenbloom-Jones said that feature will help cut down on emissions in more congested areas like Collegetown or downtown Ithaca.
The transit agency also has six fully electric buses in rotation, also manufactured by Gillig.
Asked why TCAT opted to go for hybrid over full electric buses, Rosenbloom-Jones said it was a matter of planning and capacity. At present, TCAT’s depot can only accommodate chargers for a maximum of eight full electric buses. The agency had initially set the goal of an emissions free fleet by 2035.
- Megan Zerez, Ithaca Voice 2/17/26
The Ithaca 2030 District
Visit TCCPI's latest project, the Ithaca 2030 District, an interdisciplinary public-private collaboration working to create a groundbreaking high-performance building district in Downtown Ithaca.
Two diesel hybrid buses are undergoing final checks before they make the nearly 3,000-mile road trip across the U.S. from the San Francisco Bay Area. In the coming days, specially trained cross-country bus drivers will shepherd the vehicles to their new home in Ithaca.
On Wednesday morning, TCAT General Manager Matthew Rosenbloom-Jones was at bus manufacturer Gillig’s plant in Livermore, California while he spoke with The Ithaca Voice. He had just signed the final paperwork to purchase the hybrid buses.
Once in Ithaca, he anticipates the new buses will be able to run their regular routes for two days on a single tank of fuel. They’re are expected to last between 12 and 14 years, or half a million miles, and cost TCAT $932,867 each.
“We’ve had hybrids in the past,” Rosenbloom-Jones said. “But these [new vehicles] are a much more advanced bus than what’s available on those [older] buses. The technology has really improved quite a bit. They are like a different generation of bus, but we’re familiar with the basic concept.”
While the new hybrid buses will still use diesel fuel, they boast new technology which allows them to switch between electric and conventional power in a more strategic manner.“
"[One new feature] basically allows the bus to shut down the diesel engine in a specific geographic area, so the bus runs in all electric mode,” Rosenbloom-Jones said. “So areas that are particularly sensitive to noise or pollution would benefit a lot from this feature.”
The hybrid buses will also rely more on their electric power when moving slowly or idling more frequently. Rosenbloom-Jones said that feature will help cut down on emissions in more congested areas like Collegetown or downtown Ithaca.
The transit agency also has six fully electric buses in rotation, also manufactured by Gillig.
Asked why TCAT opted to go for hybrid over full electric buses, Rosenbloom-Jones said it was a matter of planning and capacity. At present, TCAT’s depot can only accommodate chargers for a maximum of eight full electric buses. The agency had initially set the goal of an emissions free fleet by 2035.
- Megan Zerez, Ithaca Voice 2/17/26
The Ithaca 2030 District
Visit TCCPI's latest project, the Ithaca 2030 District, an interdisciplinary public-private collaboration working to create a groundbreaking high-performance building district in Downtown Ithaca.
News and Events
Closing the Back Door on CLCPA Rollbacks: How a Fossil Fuel-Backed Group Is Trying to Weaken New York's Clean Energy Law, April 23
New Yorkers are already paying some of the highest electricity bills in the country. That's real, and it's not an accident: decades of dependence on gas and fuel oil have left us at the mercy of corporations and foreign markets whose prices spike with every cold snap or overseas conflict.
New York passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) to change that. It mandates building locally-produced clean energy that doesn't spike when a barrel of oil jumps 40% over the weekend. But now, a fossil fuel-backed group has asked the Public Service Commission (PSC) to hold a hearing that could weaken or suspend the clean energy requirements the CLCPA depends on. They're calling it a reliability and affordability concern. The communities that have fought the longest for clean air and lower bills know what it actually is: an attempt to protect fossil fuel profits at the public's expense.
We have until May 1st to tell the PSC: deny this petition.
This webinar will give you everything you need. We'll explain what the Public Service Law actually says and why we think it does not support a formal hearing on this petition. We'll name what's at stake politically. And we'll walk you through how to file a public comment in under five minutes. Your comment goes directly into the official public record. When thousands of New Yorkers, especially from frontline communities, say deny this petition, it matters.
Speakers include:
* Cole Jermyn, Attorney with the Environmental Defense Fund
* Zaz Scott, Senior Coalition Organizer with NY Renews
* Eric Walker, Energy Justice Senior Policy Manager at WE ACT for Environmental Justice
* Avni Pravin-Buck (moderator) with Alliance for a Green Economy
When: Thursday, April 23, Noon
Where: Online
Please register here.
Next TCCPI Meeting
Friday, April 24, 2026
9:00 - 11:00 am
The monthly TCCPI meetings have moved online. For Zoom info, contact Peter Bardaglio, the TCCPI coordinator, for further details at pbardaglio@gmail.com.
If you have any issues you would like to bring to the TCCPI monthly meetings, please e-mail us at info@tccpi.org. General meetings are on the last Friday of every month, except for November and December. Because of the holidays, the November-December meeting is held on the second Friday of December.
New Yorkers are already paying some of the highest electricity bills in the country. That's real, and it's not an accident: decades of dependence on gas and fuel oil have left us at the mercy of corporations and foreign markets whose prices spike with every cold snap or overseas conflict.
New York passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) to change that. It mandates building locally-produced clean energy that doesn't spike when a barrel of oil jumps 40% over the weekend. But now, a fossil fuel-backed group has asked the Public Service Commission (PSC) to hold a hearing that could weaken or suspend the clean energy requirements the CLCPA depends on. They're calling it a reliability and affordability concern. The communities that have fought the longest for clean air and lower bills know what it actually is: an attempt to protect fossil fuel profits at the public's expense.
We have until May 1st to tell the PSC: deny this petition.
This webinar will give you everything you need. We'll explain what the Public Service Law actually says and why we think it does not support a formal hearing on this petition. We'll name what's at stake politically. And we'll walk you through how to file a public comment in under five minutes. Your comment goes directly into the official public record. When thousands of New Yorkers, especially from frontline communities, say deny this petition, it matters.
Speakers include:
* Cole Jermyn, Attorney with the Environmental Defense Fund
* Zaz Scott, Senior Coalition Organizer with NY Renews
* Eric Walker, Energy Justice Senior Policy Manager at WE ACT for Environmental Justice
* Avni Pravin-Buck (moderator) with Alliance for a Green Economy
When: Thursday, April 23, Noon
Where: Online
Please register here.
Next TCCPI Meeting
Friday, April 24, 2026
9:00 - 11:00 am
The monthly TCCPI meetings have moved online. For Zoom info, contact Peter Bardaglio, the TCCPI coordinator, for further details at pbardaglio@gmail.com.
If you have any issues you would like to bring to the TCCPI monthly meetings, please e-mail us at info@tccpi.org. General meetings are on the last Friday of every month, except for November and December. Because of the holidays, the November-December meeting is held on the second Friday of December.
Copyright © Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative. All rights reserved.