British Columbia ready to add 115 electric buses to fleets
In Canada, BC Transit, the public transport operator for British Columbia, will procure up to 115 battery buses and install 134 charging points throughout the province.
The total investment garnered for the project is 395 million Canadian dollars (272 million euros). The Government of Canada is contributing just under 170 million CAD (117 million euros), and the provincial government of British Columbia is putting up just under 159 million CAD (about 109.6 million euros). The remaining 67 million dollars (46.2 million euros) will be covered by BC Transit itself.
It is unclear from BC Transit’s announcement whether the tender for the buses and charging equipment has already gone out, or whether orders are keyed up and when they will hit the streets. In 2019, the public transport operator announced the conversion of its bus fleet of more than 1,000 vehicles to electric drive. Starting in 2023, only electric buses were to be procured in order to create an all-electric provincial fleet in all vehicle classes by 2040.
The Government of Canada contributes to bus electrification projects through the Zero Emission Transit Fund (ZETF), among other government funds. The Zero Emission Transit Fund is executing a plan that commits the Government of Canada to provide permanent federal funding for public transit “in support of making clean and affordable transportation options available in every community,” according to BC Transit. Funding rounds in Canada are ongoing as the ZETF is now accepting applications for electrifying school transportation and public transport schemes.
BC Transit joins a rapidly growing list of Canadian public transport operators investing heavily in electric buses this year. In May this year, Volvo subsidiary Nova Bus received a collective order to supply up to 1,229 battery-electric buses to ten public transport operators in the Canadian province of Quebec. Just last month, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) signed a framework agreement with the North American manufacturer New Flyer for the delivery of up to 621 battery buses.
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