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Hello,

I would like to submit some comments for consideration for the
$423M California will manage from the VW Mitigation Trust program. 
I am a Senior Transportation Planner at UC Santa Cruz and am Chair
of the UC Sustainable Transportation Working Group representing all
ten UC campuses.

1.  Please be sure that all CA higher educations are eligible for
this funding including University of California, CA State
University and CA community colleges.  Many campuses operate their
own campus shuttle systems with older used diesel buses and have
limited funding to convert these fleets to electric buses.  Having
this funding available can definitely help in the acquisition of
these buses and replacing the older diesel buses.

2.  Please allow this VW Trust funding to be eligible to be stacked
with HVIP or other funding for those agencies that are NOT eligible
for FTA funding.  UC campuses that operate extensive shuttle
programs are typically NOT eligible for FTA funding and do not
receive other state funds for transit programs. At the University
of CA, Santa Cruz for instance, our complete transit program is
fully funded through student transit fees (which they vote to tax
themselves) and is used to pay for contracts with our regional
transit agency for commutes to campus and our on campus shuttle
program.  We operate about 16 older used diesel buses and would
love to have funding to convert these buses incrementally or all at
one time to electric.  

3.  Many campuses also provide robust vanpool programs using
10-passenger vans.  Would replacement of these vans be an eligible
project?

4. While I understand the rationale for first come, first serve
availability of funding, it might be good to consider projects that
allow larger agencies the opportunity to incrementally concert
their transit fleets to EV.  As you know, these costs can be
substantial, even with the $180,000 per bus funding, as additional
charging infrastructure must also be installed a high costs. 
Perhaps projects can funded so long as they are making their
timelines?  Just an idea.


Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the development of this
program.  Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need
further information.

Teresa