Kitsap Transit announced Monday that it has received a $10.4 million funding award from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to buy 10 battery-electric buses and charging infrastructure.

In a Kitsap Transit news release, John Clauson, the agency’s executive director, said the award “will help transition the aging diesel fleet to zero-emission vehicles while improving the safety and reliability of transit service for residents of Kitsap County.”

The transit agency currently operates two electric buses in its fleet and is expecting six more to be delivered by the end of this year. Kitsap Transit recently ordered a dozen more electric buses, which will be delivered next year.

The grant award, along with $2.6 million in local matching funds, allows Kitsap Transit to buy 10 additional battery-electric buses and related charging infrastructure. The transportation agency will have 30 battery-electric buses in its fleet when those are delivered in 2024.

Kitsap Transit spokesman Sanjay Bhatt said in the release that charging infrastructure is “critical to greening the fleet.” He said the agency’s Bremerton bus depot will have a charging capacity for 18 electric buses; its Poulsbo depot will have a charging capacity for eight buses.

According to Bhatt, Kitsap Transit is one of three transit agencies in the state to receive an award under the Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities program administered by the Federal Transit Administration. Also receiving awards are Sound Transit and C-TRAN in Clark County.

“We want to thank our outstanding Congressional delegation for supporting our grant request,” Clauson said in the release. “We look forward to bringing more electric buses into our fleet.”