Six Aging Natural Gas Buses Head for Retirement as $850,000 in Federal Money Reaches Foothill Transit

Rep. Judy Chu presents $850,000 in federal funding to Foothill Transit at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, handing the San Gabriel Valley bus agency the money needed to retire six compressed natural gas buses that have reached the end of their service lives.

The six are eligible for retirement under Federal Transit Administration rules, according to Chu’s office, and would be replaced with zero-emission models.

Chu’s office said the deployment will deliver cleaner, smarter transit service and mitigate poor air quality in one of the nation’s most congested regions.

Doran Barnes, Foothill Transit’s chief executive officer, and the agency’s Board of Directors join Chu at the Arcadia yard.

Pasadena has a governing stake in the outcome. The city is one of 22 members of the joint powers authority that runs Foothill Transit, and Mayor Victor M. Gordo holds its seat on the governing board, with Councilmember Rick Cole as alternate.

Line 187 links Pasadena with East Pasadena, East San Gabriel, Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale and Azusa, ending westbound at Raymond Avenue and Walnut Street. The agency also runs Rose Bowl shuttles from the Parsons parking area in Old Pasadena for UCLA football games and certain other stadium events.

Foothill Transit is not Pasadena’s primary local circulator. For trips within the city, Pasadena Transit generally handles local service. Line 187 matters most for east-west travel east into the valley.

The award came through fiscal 2026 Community Project Funding. Chu requested $6 million and received $850,000.