WTA has recently updated one of our decarbonization strategies, based on direction from our Board of Directors.

• What is renewable fuel? Renewable fuel is made from agricultural byproducts. It creates 60% less lifecycle emissions than diesel. By powering conventional buses with renewable fuel, we’re achieving 90% of the carbon efficiency of our hybrid-electric buses. To learn more about this comparison, see 2025 Transpo Presentation Hybrid vs Conventional, under “Resources,” on the right.
• Is WTA shifting away from hybrid-electric buses? At least temporarily, yes. WTA operates 15 hybrid-electric buses. Their 12-year lifecycle cost is $425,000 more than that of a conventional bus. Yet they only achieve a 10% greater carbon efficiency than conventional buses powered by renewable fuel.
• Is WTA shifting away from electric buses? At least temporarily, yes. WTA operates 12 electric buses. To expand our electric fleet beyond these 12, we would need to invest several million dollars in charging infrastructure. In addition, current model electric buses do not meet our standards for range or performance

What are WTA’s non-fleet related Decarbonization Strategies?

• WTA is investing in ways to replace car trips with bus trips by improving the convenience of transit. For example, by:
  • Offering frequent, convenient bus service on high density corridors and providing new service to developing areas of multifamily housing, for example Old Town, King Mountain, and Bellingham’s Waterfront
  • Planning for “Rapid Transit,” with frequencies better than every 15 minutes, on key corridors in Bellingham
  • Partnering with Whatcom Council of Governments on their Smart Trips program, which provides tools and incentives to increase trips by walking, biking, sharing rides, and riding the bus
  • Through our Transit Access Fund, partnering with local jurisdictions to improve access to WTA bus stops, for example by building sidewalks, improving ADA accessibility, and providing storage facilities for bikes
  • Facilitating shared rides for long commutes through our Rideshare (formerly vanpool) program
  • Pursuing public-private partnerships to build Transit Oriented Development in Bellingham and “Transit Friendly Development” in Lynden

• By partnering with Whatcom Land Trust and Whatcom Million Trees Foundation, WTA is also lowering local carbon emissions by preserving forested lands. To date, these efforts have resulted in
  • preservation of 53 forested acres in Whatcom County
  • sequestration of approximately 190 metric tons of carbon per year (equivalent to eliminating the emissions from 935,000 car miles)