California Air Resources Board

Eliminating tailpipe emissions from airport ground transportation will help the California Air Resources Board (CARB) achieve the emission reduction strategies outlined in the Mobile Source Strategy, State Implementation Plan, and Sustainable Freight Action Plan. Vehicles like airport shuttles that operate on fixed routes, have stop-and-go operations, maintain low average speeds, and are centrally maintained and fueled are ideal candidates for the use of zero emissions technologies.

The Zero-Emission Airport Shuttle (ZEAS) regulation was adopted in 2019 and requires airport shuttle fleets to phase-in zero-emission airport shuttles until 33 percent are zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by end of 2027 and 100 percent by end of 2035.

The regulation applies to airport shuttle operators who own, operate, or lease vehicles at the 13 California airports: Los Angeles (LAX), John Wayne (SNA), San Francisco (SFO), Sacramento (SMF), San Diego (SAN), Mineta San Jose (SJC), Hollywood Burbank (BUR), Palm Springs (PSP), Oakland (OAK), Santa Barbara (SBA), Ontario (ONT), Long Beach (LBG), and Fresno (FAT). The affected vehicles are shuttles with gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) of 8,501 pounds or greater, that transport passengers to, from, or around a regulated airport. Fleet owner reporting requirements began in 2022.

CARB has temporarily paused some ZEAS requirements for private fleets for the 2026 calendar year, please refer to Manufacturers Advisory Correspondence (MAC) ECCD-2025-08 for more information.