LA Metro Board Approves $337 Million Contract for 220 Zero-Emission Electric Buses from El Dorado National

Decisive Investment in Zero-Emission Public Fleet

LOS ANGELES, California — Advancing one of the nation's most aggressive public transportation decarbonization mandates, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) Board of Directors formally voted on September 24, 2026, to approve a landmark $337 million procurement contract for 220 heavy-duty battery-electric buses. The contract was awarded to Riverside-based manufacturer El Dorado National California (ENC), reinforcing regional manufacturing jobs while transitioning Metro's massive fleet away from compressed natural gas toward 100 percent tailpipe-emission-free operations ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

During debate at Metro headquarters at One Gateway Plaza, Board members approved an amendment sponsored by Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky. The provision locks in the baseline order of zero-emission vehicles while establishing rigorous interim battery reliability metrics and requiring formal board authorization before any optional procurement phases can be triggered.

Fleet Deployment Coincides with D Line Subway Extension Milestones

The clean-fleet acquisition comes as LA Metro advances critical infrastructure across the Westside transit corridor. Construction crews reached substantive completion milestones at the VA Medical Center Westwood station, representing Section 3 of the multi-billion-dollar D Line (Purple) Subway Extension. Advanced track electrification, signaling diagnostics, and subterranean ventilation trials are proceeding methodically between Century City and the Westwood VA medical campus.

The newly procured 40-foot low-floor electric buses will be strategically allocated to serve as high-frequency feeder lines connecting suburban riders from the San Fernando Valley, Mid-City, and South Los Angeles directly to newly expanded rail stations along Wilshire Boulevard.

Congress of Neighborhoods Convenes Civic Leaders at City Hall

The major transit modernization coincides with the convening of the annual Los Angeles Congress of Neighborhoods at City Hall on Saturday, September 26. Hundreds of grassroots neighborhood council delegates gathered for 25 interactive policy workshops, evaluating municipal budget priorities, regional heat mitigation, and community-level public transit access.

Civic leaders and transit advocates commended the synchronized push for electric bus deployment and subterranean rail expansion, hailing the contract as a transformative milestone for air quality and transit equity across the Los Angeles basin.