BC Transit to put more electric buses and charging infrastructures in B.C.

After a previous setback, BC Transit will be taking another direction in its plan to electrify and will be purchasing 66 electric buses from two suppliers.

BC Transit says these new electric buses are on order from two pre-qualified suppliers, Nova Bus and New Flyer.

Over the next two years, 134 new electric bus charging points will be installed in nine communities throughout B.C. including Chilliwack, Kamloops, Kelowna, the Regional District of Nanaimo, Nelson, Powell River, Sunshine Coast, Victoria and Whistler.

Bus allocations to each community will be confirmed as the projects progress.

BC Transit anticipates that the 66 buses will arrive incrementally starting in early 2025 and completing mid-2026, with more expected to be procured along the way.

In July 2023, B.C. Transit announced it would purchase up to 115 battery-electric buses and install 134 charging points around the province.

A total of $395.5 million has been earmarked for buses and infrastructure in B.C. with costs to be shared with the Government of Canada, the Province of British Columbia and local government partners.

Funding from the Government of Canada is coming out of the Zero Emission Transit Fund and the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.

These projects align with BC Transit’s long-term plan to achieve a fully electric fleet by 2040 fulfilling its commitment to lower greenhouse gas emissions to meet goals outlined in the Province of British Columbia’s CleanBC roadmap.

It was in July 2019 when BC Transit first announced its Low Carbon Fleet Program that included a 10-year fleet replacement strategy to replace over 1,200 existing buses and expand the fleet by an additional 350 buses by using GHG reducing technology.

BC Transit had previously purchased 10 electric buses from Proterra, which were expected to hit the roads in fall 2022.

However, the company went bankrupt and it was announced in March 2024 that BC Transit would not be receiving the 10 buses it had purchased.

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