Modernizing transit in Idaho with reliable electric bus charging
On a typical day at Main Street Station in Boise, Idaho, buses pull in and riders board. Now, something else happens quietly overhead: the city’s transit future charges up.
With the completion of the Valley Regional Transit Bus Electrification Project, Boise has unveiled one of its most significant investments in clean transportation to date. The project, delivered by Jacobs in collaboration with Valley Regional Transit (VRT), Record Steel and Construction, Inc (RSCI) and the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE), marks a major step toward reducing emissions while modernizing the region’s transit infrastructure.
safe work hours
megawatts of charging capacity
new battery electric buses deployed
The upgrade transforms the ground level of the city’s busy Main Street Station into a high-capacity charging hub designed to support battery electric buses without interrupting daily service. During a bus layover, the drive pushes a button on the dash, and the bus starts charging. Four of the station’s eight bus bays are now equipped with fast charging technology that keeps vehicles in service longer and improving reliability across VRT’s network.
The project aligns closely with the City of Boise’s climate action goals, including its target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. It was supported by a competitive $20 million Low or No Emission (LoNo) grant secured in 2022, which funded the rollout of electric buses and the advanced infrastructure required to operate them.
Behind the scenes, the project required significant electrical upgrades. A new 12.5 kilovolt service delivers 2.5 megawatts of charging capacity — enough to support up to ten high-output chargers today — providing the capacity to expand as the fleet grows. The system’s design allows flexibility at both ground level and street level locations, ensuring the station is prepared for future demands.
The electrification initiative enables VRT to deploy a new fleet of 13 battery electric buses, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality in Boise’s urban core. It also supports VRT’s Transit Development & Operations Plan, which charts a path toward carbon neutrality by 2035.
Delivered months ahead of schedule, the project set a high bar for execution. Construction crews logged more than 12,000 incident-free work hours, earning a Jacobs’Excellence in Safety Award and minimizing disruptions to daily transit operations.
For Jacobs, the Boise project highlights growing expertise in turn-key vertical construction and complex electrical systems. These capabilities are increasingly critical as cities look to modernize aging infrastructure and prepare for decarbonized transportation. For Boise, it represents a tangible step toward a cleaner, more resilient transit system, one charge at a time.
