NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – The Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) has received federal funding in order to support the growth of electric busses.

The Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill provided $1 million to assist in the purchase of battery electric busses. HRT hopes to transition to an all-electric fleet by 2049.

“As a result of considerable efforts by our congressional delegtion, we are able to continue our investments in sustainable, clean transportation throughout our service area,” president and CEO of Hampton Roads Transit William E. Harrell said. “We thank our representatives for working to secure this funding.”

HRT is currently working to build a new Southside Bus Operating Facility in Virginia Beach, which, when completed, will have the ability to service, maintain and store existing zero-emissions busses and provide storage for the bus fleet currently operating on the oceanfront.

According to a press release from HRT, they are the first transit agency in Virginia to utilize electric busses. Route 20, which operates along Virginia Beach Boulevard, was one of the first routes to start implementing the electric busses.

For more information on routes and services, visit the Hampton Roads Transit website here.