TTC gets first electric bus
Transit agency expects to have 60 new e-buses by the end of 2019
The TTC has received the first of its new fleet of zero-emission electric buses, which are expected to start hitting the roads later this spring.
The city received a sneak peak of these buses last April, when the plans to purchase zeroemission buses were announced, but the red and white e-bus delivered this Monday will be the first one to carry commuters in Toronto.
The buses are powered solely by lithium-ion batteries. The buses are expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 149.2 tons of CO2e per bus per year, according to a TTC report, as well as save $56,000 on diesel fuel per bus per year. TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said it was “fantastic” to receive the first bus on Monday.
“Our board, and the City of Toronto, has committed to greening our fleet in a number of different ways,” he said. “The last of the new diesel buses we’ve gotten are cleaner, we’ve got new hybrids that are on the road now … now with the e-bus, we’re working towards that goal of a completely emission-free fleet in the next 20 years. We’re on course to do that.”
The first bus, from a company called New Flyer, was supposed to arrive in late March, Green said, but the vehicle, which was built in Winnipeg and finished in Minnesota, was delayed in the latter city by bad weather.
This year, the TTC has ordered 20 buses each from three different companies: New Flyer, BYD and Proterra. They will be arriving on a staggered delivery schedule, with all 60 buses expected by the end of 2019.
Together, the 60 vehicles are expected to cost $140 million, a price that includes charging infrastructure for at least three TTC garages. The city will cover $75 million of the cost, while the federal government is providing $65 million, Green said.
The TTC will slowly be phasing out new purchases of diesel and hybrid buses, and by 2025 aim to be only buying e-buses.
The buses are supposed to be able to run for about 250 kilometres on a single charge, and the TTC will monitor whether they perform as advertised.
“Emissions and carbon emissions are a huge source of pollution in urban centres, not just Toronto, so anything that we can do to reduce (those) emission levels is a good thing,” Green said.
There is no specific date set for when this first bus will start carting around passengers, but Green said they are confident the bus will be in service at least before the end of June. Before that can happen, the bus has to be taken for test runs, and operators need to receive extra training, Green said.
The specific routes for the new buses have not been decided, but the first few will be sent to the TTC’s Arrow Rd. Division, in the area of Sheppard Ave. W. and Finch Ave., one of seven bus divisions throughout the city.