TransLink boosts its fleet of hybrid buses
TransLink is more than doubling the number of hybrid articulated buses in its fleet, with the first batch of new vehicles arriving in time for Earth Day on Saturday.
The regional transit authority is rolling out a total of 26 new hybrid diesel-electric New Flyer XDE60 articulated buses this month. They will be based at the Burnaby transit centre and serve nearby B-Line and other high-occupancy routes.
The buses, which use 17-per-cent less fuel than the diesel-powered models, will replace buses that went into service 17 years ago.
TransLink already has 21 hybrid articulated buses that went into service in May 2016. With the new buses, TransLink will have a total of 252 hybrid buses in service in Metro Vancouver, plus 262 zero-emission trolley buses. TransLink has also applied to Metro Vancouver for $121 million in federal gas tax money from the Greater Vancouver Regional Fund to purchase 134 new vehicles and bus equipment.
According to a report to Metro’s finance and intergovernmental committee, TransLink intends to buy 105 new diesel-electric hybrid buses — 94 conventional and 11 articulated — 12 gas-powered community shuttles, 13 gas-powered HandyDart vehicles, four electric battery buses and an on-route charging unit, and equipment to retrofit 99 older buses to expand service in the short term.
The electric buses will be part of a national electric battery bus pilot project and run along the 100 Marpole Loop-22nd Street station route.
The finance and intergovernmental committee recommended that the Metro Vancouver board approve the funding. The board will consider the recommendation at a future meeting. If the board approves, the Union of B.C. Municipalities, which holds the gas tax money in trust, will be notified.
The new vehicles will be added in 2018, and the older buses retrofitted this year.