California's $1 billion clean truck and bus voucher program faces fraud probe and low-mileage questions, L.A. Times finds; Metro and LADOT buses among them

-
A BYD battery-electric transit bus operated by the Antelope Valley Transit Authority in Los Angeles County

California's $1 billion clean truck and bus voucher program faces fraud probe and low-mileage questions, L.A. Times finds; Metro and LADOT buses among them

The program covers up to 90% of the cost of cleaner trucks and buses. One $630,000 LADOT electric bus has logged 555 miles since June 2024, the Times reported.

By Alberto Zamudio | The Southbound 105 | Oct. 18, 2026

California has spent more than $1 billion in public money helping businesses and transit agencies buy cleaner trucks and buses. A new Los Angeles Times investigation says the program now faces accusations of fraud, waste and poor oversight, and some of the clearest examples are right here in L.A.

The Clean Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project, known as HVIP, covers up to 90% of the cost of hybrid and zero-emission vehicles. State officials say it has helped put nearly 12,000 trucks, buses and vans on California roads, the Times reported.

A fraud probe

The state attorney general's office has been investigating whether some state-funded vehicles were "never delivered or operated," and whether some participants changed vehicle identification numbers to get more than one voucher for a single EV, according to court filings cited by the Times.

In one case, the Times reported, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge found that L.A.-based van pool startup Green Commuter and its manufacturer, GreenPower Motor Co., misrepresented that vehicles had been built and delivered when they had not, "constituting fraud upon CARB." The judge's ruling said at least 10 vans leased with nearly $1 million in state money were sitting unassembled in a factory, according to the Times. Green Commuter's CEO declined to comment; GreenPower's CEO told the Times the company "follows the rules and regulations to the best of its ability."

Big money, low miles in L.A.

The Times obtained mileage records and found many vehicles are driven far less than state benchmarks. Locally:

  • L.A. Metro: $15.7 million in state funding bought 93 all-electric buses, which on average are driven 36% less than the agency's fossil-fuel buses.
  • LADOT: 155 electric vehicles bought with $20.2 million in vouchers drove about half the mileage of the city's fossil-fuel fleet.
  • One bus: a $630,000 BYD bus has logged 555 miles since joining LADOT's fleet in June 2024. An LADOT official said it sat idle for lack of charging infrastructure.

Statewide, the Times found that manufacturers failed to submit a single mileage report for 64% of vehicles since 2020, and that 45% of funded vehicles burn fossil fuels, as hybrids or natural gas vehicles.

What officials say

The California Air Resources Board and its nonprofit partner CALSTART told the Times the program is managed effectively and has an "intentional and robust" process for vetting participants. "Most people are having good experiences, but it doesn't always work out that way," said Peter Christensen, who heads CARB's innovative strategies branch.

State Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, told the Times that learning millions were mismanaged is "both frustrating and insulting," and has urged lawmakers to take over oversight. CARB has proposed inspecting every eligible vehicle model at its Riverside facility, but that has not been put in place, the Times reported.

Why it matters for taxpayers

The voucher money comes from state sources, including cap-and-trade revenue and fees on diesel trucks visiting California ports, according to the Times. For South L.A. and the 105 corridor, where diesel pollution from trucks and the ports is a daily reality, the question is whether that money is actually cleaning the air.

Want more local news? Read more at The Southbound 105.

Cover photo: Nate Pitkin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flea-borne typhus outbreak confirmed in Wilshire Center as LA County cases keep climbing

-
Image
Seven people sickened and six hospitalized in the county's second neighborhood typhus cluster of 2026. Health officials say the risk reaches well beyond Koreatown. LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County health officials are investigating an outbreak of flea-borne typhus in Wilshire Center, the dense Mid-Wilshire neighborhood that overlaps Koreatown, after seven people with symptoms were linked to the cluster. Six of the seven were hospitalized. All have recovered, the Department of Public Health said when it announced the outbreak on Tuesday, Sept. 22. It is the second flea-borne typhus outbreak the department has reported this year. The first, announced July 29, involved five people in nearby Pico-Union; all five were hospitalized and later recovered. Countywide, Public Health has counted 109 typhus cases so far in 2026. As of Friday, Sept. 25, the department had not announced any additional cases tied to the Wilshire Center cluster. As flea-borne typhus cases continue to inc...
Read more

Tropical Storm Rachel surf forces evacuations on Long Beach Peninsula; 8 buildings red-tagged

-
Image
Cover photo: File photo (Alamitos Bay and the Peninsula, 2015; not storm damage) by Don Ramey Logan , CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons; cropped, darkened and text added by The Southbound 105. By The Southbound 105 | Oct. 10, 2026 LONG BEACH รข€” Long Beach ordered oceanfront residents on the Peninsula to leave their homes Friday night after surf from Tropical Storm Rachel broke through the bulkhead that protects Seaside Walk, sending seawater into homes and side streets. The mandatory evacuation order covers homes on Seaside Walk between 64th and 66th places, the 6400 and 6500 blocks. It took effect at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, and runs through noon Tuesday, Oct. 13, city officials said, adding that the return date could change as conditions evolve. Residents of nine properties were told to go. Eight buildings too dangerous to enter City inspectors red-tagged eight buildings, covering 13 addresses, in the 6400 and 6500 blocks of Seaside Walk, meaning they are considered too dangero...
Read more

Vincent Thomas Bridge closes Nov. 7 for 16 months: the detours, the $750 million plan and what the ports say

-
Image
Traffic officers will be posted at 18 intersections, and only about 8% of port truck traffic uses the bridge, according to the port. By Alberto Zamudio | The Southbound 105 | Oct. 15, 2026 In three weeks, one of the Los Angeles harbor region's key links goes dark. Caltrans will close the Vincent Thomas Bridge, which carries State Route 47 between San Pedro and Terminal Island, to all traffic on Nov. 7 for 16 months. The agency says the 60-plus-year-old bridge's concrete deck is "severely deteriorated." Crews will replace the deck, center median, railing, fencing and signage, and modernize other components, according to the Caltrans fact sheet for fall and winter 2026-27. The basics Closure: begins Nov. 7, 2026, and lasts 16 months. Reopening: early 2028, per Caltrans. The Port of Los Angeles describes the closure as November 2026 through March 2028. Caltrans' FAQ says the bridge is expected to reopen before the 2028 Olympic Games. Cost: Caltrans lists ...
Read more