Dear Charlottesville City Council – 

Our transportation system can be a catalyst for combating climate change and uplifting community health. It has a profound influence on both our environment and our well-being. The Community Climate Collaborative (C3) underscores these connections in its latest report on Climate Change and Health.

Today, we face a profound choice, and as stewards of our community's destiny, your decisions ripple through generations. The impending City Council vote to determine the alternative fuel technology for Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT) demands our unwavering attention.

Readily available zero-emission buses (ZEBs), particularly battery electric buses (BEBs), offer a tangible stride toward building a healthier environment and addressing societal imbalances. Delve into C3's guide for insights into this transition's significance and logistics.

As articulated in last year's ACT on Climate! letter, this vote is only one facet of the broader transportation enhancements needed. As a community, we know that in addition to ZEBs, CAT must enhance accessibility, safety at bus stops, route frequency, waiting times, route efficiency, and service diversity.

Now, in this pivotal moment, the impending vote pertains to the fuel source. We urge you to embrace these two recommendations, steering our transit, health, and climate future:

• Choose Zero-Emission Buses (ZEBs) for CAT's Fuel Technology: Vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, such as diesel or compressed natural gas buses, yield health issues from asthma to premature mortality. Amplifying this concern, racially and ethnically diverse neighborhoods bear a disproportionate pollution burden.
• Ensure Workforce Investments for ZEB Operation and Maintenance: The success of this transition rests on investment in just and robust workforce readiness.

Your commitment to community well-being and to our shared Earth is commendable. 

Sincerely,

Charlottesville Area Residents and Members of the Nonprofit and For-Profit Community