Governor Pritzker Announces $65M in State Grants to Expand Zero-Emission Public Bus Fleets

CHICAGO, IL — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker joined transportation officials on Sunday morning to announce a $65-million state capital allocation from the Rebuild Illinois infrastructure program to accelerate the electrification of public transit fleets across northeastern Illinois.

Fleet Modernization and Charging Infrastructure

The funding, distributed through the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) in partnership with the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), will finance the procurement of 90 domestically manufactured low-floor battery-electric buses for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Pace Suburban Bus.

The grant also finances the construction of heavy-duty pantograph fast-charging gantries at the CTA's 77th Street Garage on Chicago's South Side and Pace's River Division garage in South Elgin.

"Transitioning our public transit systems to clean electric power improves air quality in historically overburdened neighborhoods while creating good-paying union infrastructure jobs," Pritzker said during a press conference in Chicago.

Emissions Reductions and Public Health

State environmental officials estimated the electric bus deployment will displace 8,200 metric tons of carbon emissions and eliminate 45 tons of diesel particulate matter annually along dense urban bus corridors including 79th Street, Western Avenue, and Cicero Avenue.

Environmental justice leaders praised the prioritization of South and West Side transit routes for initial zero-emission bus deployments.

Delivery Timelines

The zero-emission buses are scheduled for manufacturing delivery in mid-2027, supporting the CTA's statutory commitment to operate a 100% zero-emission fleet by 2040.