More communities in British Columbia will see the benefits of new electric buses and charging infrastructure.
Two pre-qualified suppliers, Nova Bus and New Flyer, have orders for sixty-six electric buses. Additionally, transit electrification infrastructure projects are commencing in nine communities throughout British Columbia (BC).
BC Transit plans to install approximately 134 new electric bus charging points over the next two years in Chilliwack, Kamloops, Kelowna, the Regional District of Nanaimo, Nelson, Powell River, Sunshine Coast, Victoria, and Whistler. The allocation of buses to each community will be confirmed as the projects progress.
BC Transit expects the arrival of the 66 buses to occur gradually, beginning in early 2025 and finishing by mid-2026. Moreover, BC Transit will procure additional electric buses to bolster previously announced funding, with specific details to be shared in forthcoming announcements.
A total of $395.5 million in funding for buses and infrastructure was announced in July 2023.
The costs are divided among the Government of Canada, the Province of British Columbia, and local government partners. Under this funding, BC Transit plans to acquire a total of 115 new battery electric buses.
Funding from the Government of Canada comes from the Zero Emission Transit Fund and the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
These projects contribute to BC Transit’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and align with the organization’s commitment to achieving targets set out in the Province of British Columbia’s CleanBC roadmap.
For further information about BC Transit, please visit BCTransit.com.