California, FASTECH and Bosch Rexroth to deliver hydrogen station for SamTrans’ 175-bus fuel cell fleet

FASTECH and Bosch Rexroth announce they have been selected to deliver a hydrogen refueling station for SamTrans that is claimed to become the world’s largest facility dedicated to transit bus operations. SamTrans has ordered 108 fuel cell buses from New Flyer in 2024.

The San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) has in fact awarded FASTECH, in collaboration with Bosch Rexroth, a contract to design, build and commission a large-scale hydrogen refueling station in California. The project will support the agency’s expanding fuel cell bus fleet and marks the first commercial deployment of Bosch Rexroth’s CryoPump hydrogen fueling technology.

A prior communication released in 2025 stated that SamTrans Board of Directors approved two contracts with Trillium for the design, construction, commissioning, and long-term maintenance of the new fueling infrastructure. 

SamTrans provides public transportation services across San Mateo County, south of San Francisco, operating 74 fixed bus routes alongside on-demand mobility services. According to the transit agency, the network serves more than 10 million passenger trips annually.

Hydrogen station sized for up to 175 fuel cell buses

FASTECH will act as system integrator and project delivery partner, combining the CryoPump technology with the overall station design and implementation. Technical support and independent assessment activities will be provided by the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE), a U.S.-based nonprofit organization focused on the deployment of advanced transportation technologies.

In January 2026 San Mateo County Transit District was allocated $2.58 million from the Californian government for a hydrogen fuel cell electric bus infrastructure and fueling station project at its North Base Maintenance and Operations Facility in San Carlos, including the associated facilities needed to support the fleet.

The new facility is planned as the primary hydrogen refueling hub for SamTrans’ future fleet of fuel cell electric buses. The infrastructure is being designed to support up to 175 hydrogen-powered buses, with simultaneous fueling through four dispensers and a daily hydrogen throughput of up to 3.5 tonnes.

According to the project partners, the station will be capable of delivering hydrogen at rates that support large-scale transit operations. Bosch Rexroth states that its system architecture can dispense up to 1,200 kilograms of hydrogen per hour, allowing the infrastructure to accommodate larger fleet deployments if required.

The project is positioned within broader efforts to expand hydrogen applications in heavy-duty transport, where fleet operators are evaluating technologies capable of supporting high daily utilization and centralized depot operations.

First commercial deployment of Bosch Rexroth CryoPump technology

A key component of the installation will be Bosch Rexroth’s CryoPump system, which is set to enter commercial operation for the first time through the SamTrans project.

The company states that the technology eliminates the need for buffer gas storage and complex mechanical valve manifolding typically associated with hydrogen refueling installations. The system is also designed to reduce hydrogen losses linked to boil-off and venting during fuel transfer and dispensing processes.

“This project demonstrates how hydrogen can be deployed at scale to support reliable, zero-emission public transportation,” said Dan McGill, President of FASTECH. “By combining Bosch Rexroth’s advanced hydrogen technologies with FASTECH’s fueling infrastructure expertise, we are helping to establish a new benchmark for sustainable transit infrastructure worldwide.”