On Wednesday, June 24th, City Council approved a plan for OC Transpo to convert its bus fleet to zero-emission buses. The City will enter into a loan agreement with the Canada Infrastructure Bank and will seek funding from Infrastructure Canada to gradually convert the bus fleet in a way that is affordable under the City’s long-range financial plan for transit. All future bus purchases will be for zero-emission buses, provided they meet operational needs.
If funding is secured, OC Transpo will purchase 74 40-foot battery-electric buses and charging infrastructure as part of the City’s 2022 capital budget. The buses would be put into service in 2023, joining four zero-emission electric buses being put into service later this year. OC Transpo aims to phase in 450 zero-emission buses by 2027 and have a fully electric bus fleet by 2036.
In response to the question regarding cost of annual maintenance for battery-electric buses asked at the June 16th Transit Commission meeting, please be advised:
Annual and lifecycle maintenance costs do not form part of the capital budget, but are part of the annual operating budget. These costs will be offset by the lower energy and maintenance costs of battery-electric buses compared to diesel buses. Based on information received from other transit agencies and from battery-electric bus manufacturers, an average expected savings of 33 percent was determined. Operating costs will be further analyzed and included in a recommendation later in 2021 to the Transit Commission and Council for input to the 2022 operating budget.
