Thursday, October 1, 2026
Intercity Transit awarded a $4.6 million contract for the installation of a hydrogen fueling station at its Pattison Street base in Olympia.
The Intercity Transit Authority authorized General Manager Emily Bergkamp to award the contract to Hyfluence Systems Corp. for $4,608,730 at a meeting on Wednesday, June 18.
The fueling facility accounts for $3.17 million. The remaining costs cover related services, such as maintenance, project management, and an 8% contingency fund for any unforeseen additional needs.
The refueling station will support the deployment of five hydrogen fuel cell electric buses, which are currently in production.
Jonathon Yee, the agency’s Director of Fleet and Facilities Maintenance, said the facility is an interim solution as part of a demonstration project to deploy hydrogen fuel buses.
Yee noted the facility could support up to 10 buses if the agency is able to secure a reliable fuel source. Beyond its current plans, the agency would have to look into a larger fueling and storage site to support more hydrogen fuel buses.
Procurement Manager Katie Cunningham said it will take 13 months before the station is ready to use. Once operational, the agency will begin a five-year maintenance agreement with the company, which may be renewed annually for up to five more years.
The transit agency issued a request for proposals for the project on Nov. 18, 2024, and received eight, three of which were deemed responsive.
The agency’s fleet and facility maintenance and procurement staff reviewed the proposals; staff determined Hylfuence best met its needs.
A grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation will fund 80% of the project’s cost.
Yee also said the ongoing renovation of the Pattison Street base, which started in 2023, may be completed by 2027. Once the ongoing phase of the renovation is complete, the next phase, which starts in late 2026, includes plans for additional infrastructure to support other zero-emission vehicles.
Yee mentioned reusing a temporary structure currently housing the maintenance shop to serve as a support facility for zero-emission vehicles instead of turning it into a parking lot as originally planned.
The current phase of the innovation, which began in January, deals with the remodeling of its maintenance building.
Construction Projects Coordinator Jonathan Martin said the phase will likely be completed by next summer.
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DaveinOlyWA
So we are spending money on a project that we already know is insufficient to meet our basic needs that requires a fuel that we have not yet sourced and have no idea what that will cost when we have electric buses that cover nearly every need and would cover ALL our needs by adding quick charge facilities at major transfer points?
Hydrogen may have a place in society one day (not any day soon BTW) but for short distance local transportation it is a waste of money with low potential upside that comes with a lot of uncertainty and unknown costs.
Cancel the contract and bolster the electric fleet instead!
Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Report this
FrostedFlake
That's great. And I'm sure the folks who got the grife really enjoy it. But.
Is it possible to travel by bus Olympia-Portland without being trapped in Centralia? Why not? Oh, that's right. It's Twin Transit. The bus that won't even cooperate with itself.
Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Report this
LoopdoGG
Well that will blow over well as soon as one of those babies hits 88MPH, were gonna see some serious ****. 1.21 Jigowatts from one of the hybrid buses is enough to send 36 passengers and a driver back to the year 1955, now combine that with hydrogen. Oh the humanity.
Thursday, June 26, 2025 Report this