Humboldt County Association of Governments’ Policy Advisory Committee heard a presentation Oct. 16 from PAC member Supervisor Arroyo and HCOG staff about how Humboldt Transit Authority plans to use Measure O transit allocations to replace aging vehicles and expand service.

The presentation said Measure O money will pay for two 40‑foot bus replacements (about $1,500,000), expanding the agency’s dial‑a‑ride/on‑demand fleet and operations, later weekday morning service and later evening service on RTS routes, continued operation of the Route 101 gap‑closure between Benbow and Willett, and improvements to the regional Route 299/“North State Express” to reduce westbound travel times (from about eight hours toward a four‑hour target on some segments). The presentation also described a Southern Humboldt Intercity service expansion; staff cited a total program-level figure shown in slides of about $3,600,000 for that expansion.

Why hydrogen: Supervisor Arroyo told the committee HTA has prioritized hydrogen buses for longer rural routes because of range and grade needs. “It’s been tested on all the different routes and really overperformed even anticipated performance,” she said, describing a custom bus model with a larger tank developed for the county’s hilly, long‑range runs. Staff said most future fleet additions are expected to be zero‑emission vehicles but that a small number of diesel replacements were needed as a short‑term measure for buses at or past their useful life.

Speakers and staff described operational changes as efficiency and accessibility improvements: bringing drivers and vehicles for dial‑a‑ride service into HTA’s direct operation (including dispatch and maintenance), coordinating connections with neighboring agencies to shorten transfer wait times, and targeting routes used by significant numbers of students commuting daily (Willow Creek to Arcadia was cited). HTA staff told the committee the North State Express vision would knit together multiple rural transit providers with Caltrans support to improve connectivity across the region.

No formal action was required or taken by the committee on the Measure O update. The presentation was followed by questions from board members about the mix of diesel and zero‑emission vehicles, production timelines for hydrogen buses, and how capital replacement will be phased.

The committee heard that HTA intends to prioritize hydrogen when production allows but must replace several overdue buses in the near term to maintain frequency and reliability.

Ending: Committee members asked staff for follow‑up material by email (including the HTA video about the hydrogen bus) and thanked HTA and HCOG staff for the operational details and the ridership context.