A number of public transit companies in Canada have unveiled their own versions of the electric vehicle (EV), with the newest set to arrive next year.
In a press release on Tuesday, Vancouver, B.C.-based TransLink announced a signed contract with Nova Bus for 15 all-electric buses, adding to the company’s current EV fleet of 4 electric buses, for a total of 19 zero-emissions buses.
The news is a major step in the company’s Low Carbon Fleet Strategy, which seeks to reduce the company’s emissions by 45% by 2030, make Route 100 more EV accessible, replace any retiring buses with electric buses, and transition to a completely renewable fleet by 2050.
We're pleased to announce that we have awarded a contract to @novabus_ to bring 15 more battery-electric buses to our fleet. This will more than quadruple our current fleet of battery-electric buses from 4 to 19. pic.twitter.com/dooObMDzRQ
— News from TransLink (@TransLinkNews) January 26, 2021
The new buses are expected to arrive in 2022, servicing Route 100. The contract between TransLink and Nova Bus, worth $16 million, has been funded through the Federal Gas Tax Fund, through the Metro Vancouver Gas Tax Fund.
TransLink has also preemptively applied for further electrification of Vancouver’s Metro area, for a total of 57 more electric buses and improvements to the EV charging infrastructure.
Harjit Sajjan, Parliament Member for Vancouver South, said, “Our investments in public transit strengthen our communities. This investment means the Route 100 bus line will become the first fully electric non-trolly bus line in the Lower Mainland.”
In any case, the new addition of electric buses will decrease emissions significantly, especially as a fleet of large vehicles that travels every single day.
