Transportation

Fleet operations and employee commuting are the largest sources of County greenhouse gas emissions, together accounting for the majority of total emissions, with employee commuting alone making up 50%. These emissions are primarily driven by employees driving alone in gas-powered vehicles and the continued use of fossil fuel vehicles in the County fleet.

To reduce this impact, the County is advancing strategies to shift travel behavior and transition to cleaner vehicles. Efforts to reduce commute emissions include expanding access to public transit, increasing carpooling and biking, supporting low-carbon travel options, and implementing a Countywide telework policy. Key actions include launching an e-bike and e-scooter subsidy program and redesigning commute benefits to better support sustainable options. At the same time, the County is transitioning its fleet to zero-emission vehicles through investments in electric vehicles, alternative fuels, and charging infrastructure.

Key efforts include completing departmental fleet transition plans, developing an EV infrastructure deployment plan, securing funding for charging ports across facilities, replacing gas-powered vehicles with zero-emission alternatives, and piloting heavy-duty equipment and backup battery systems. Together, these efforts reduce emissions, improve air quality, and lower operating costs.

Goals:

2030: 80% reduction in employee commute emissions
2030: 100% of County motor pool vehicles are electric and 80% of all County light to mid-sized vehicles are electric
2035: 95% reduction in employee commute emissions
2035: 100% of all County light-to-mid duty vehicles are electric

Summary of Strategies:

Objective 1: Reduce emissions associated with County employee commutes

Redesign Employee Commute Program known as “Shift”
Provide Flexible Workspaces
Create an Incentive and Fee Structure for Parking at County Worksites
Increase Non-motorized Transportation

Objective 2: Purchase Zero-Emission Vehicles for all County light-to-mid duty vehicles and reduce the use of petroleum in mid-to-heavy duty vehicles

2.1 Conduct a Zero Emission Vehicle Adoption Analysis
2.2 Establish a County Department Fleet Working Group
2.3 Phase-in Electric Vehicles into County Motor Pool and Departmental Fleets
2.4 Install Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
2.5 Phase-in Hybrid Vehicles for Mid-to-Heavy-duty Vehicles
2.6 Adopt a Zero-Emission Vehicle First Policy
2.7 Fuel with Alternate Fuels
2.8 Plan for Diesel Free by 2033
2.9 Reduce Vehicle Idling

See Focus Area 2: Transportation in the Government Operations Climate Action Plan (PDF) for more details on objectives and actions.

The Latest News & Events

May
16

Fixit Clinic @ East Palo Alto Library

Fixit Clinics are fun community-based workshops where neighbors, friends, and families work collectively to learn how to repair broken items. We’ll provide a workspace, specialty tools, and volunteer Fixit Coaches to help you troubleshoot and provide routine maintenance to your household items and appliances! Register at https://bit.ly/itemcheckin.

Interested in being a Fixit Coach?
It’s easy! Provide participants with 1) guidance on tools and 2) encouragement to investigate their broken item. Let them talk about how they used it and how it broke. That often provides valuable hints as to what’s wrong. See how much you can do without actually handling the item. Empower the item’s owner to do the troubleshooting and disassembly. Register to be a Fixit Coach here.

This event is hosted in partnership with the San Mateo County Libraries.

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