Zion National Park earlier this week celebrated its goal of have a shuttle fleet comprised of EV buses/NPS
Zero-emission electric visitor transportation is now operational at Zion National Park as the park’s fleet of shuttle buses is fully electric.
The milestone was marked earlier this week as the park furthers the goals of President Biden’s Federal Sustainability Plan, which directs federal agencies to lead by example and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, including by transitioning the federal fleet of 600,000 vehicles to zero-emissions vehicles.
The new fleet at Zion is the culmination of a multi-year partnership with federal, state, local, and non-profit organizations, including a $33 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. While Zion is the first park in the National Park System to transition to a fully electric transit fleet, the National Park Service is working to transition large bus fleets like those at Grand Canyon, Acadia, Yosemite, Bryce Canyon, and Harpers Ferry national parks.
The battery powered buses at Zion were acquired through General Services Administration’s fleet program.
More than 4 million people visited Zion National Park in 2023. Zero-emission buses improve the visitor experience with higher total capacity on board and quieter operations as the vehicles move through the park, a park release said. They replace a fleet of propane-powered vehicles that were in service for more than 20 years.
The National Park Service began providing free shuttle service in the park’s Zion Canyon and the Town of Springdale in 2000. The National Park Service developed this system with the Town of Springdale, engineers at the Federal Highway Administration, and Utah Department of Transportation, and with state, county, and municipal partners’ input. Shuttle buses provide service for millions of riders a year and have successfully reduced traffic congestion and crowding so that visitors can enjoy Zion Canyon. Since the shuttle system began operation, the number of visits recorded at Zion has risen from about 2.4 million in 2000 to a record 5 million in 2021.
