Regina Transit signs deal to buy 53 electric buses

Regina Transit is charging ahead with its plan to go electric.

In a media release Wednesday, transit bus manufacturer Nova Bus announced it has signed a five-year contract with the City of Regina to provide up to 53 long-range battery-electric buses to Regina Transit.

The release said the first seven of the 40-foot buses are to be delivered in 2025.

“These will be the first battery-electric buses in Regina Transit’s fleet,” Brad Bells, the City of Regina’s director of transit and fleet, said in the release.

“The addition of these electric buses will support the City of Regina’s goal of becoming a 100 per cent renewable city by 2050 and is in line with our Energy and Sustainability Framework.”

READ MORE:

• City taking next steps on transit: App and electric buses
• City of Regina to unveil first Transit Master Plan

In March, the city announced that it was to receive $26.1 million in funding from the federal government to cover half of the cost of its public transit electrification project.

“We have a $52-million project. We asked the federal government for 50 per cent under one of their funding buckets and we were successful,” Mayor Sandra Masters said at the time.

Masters noted the project is centred around adding electric buses to the city’s transit fleet and building the necessary electric-vehicle charging infrastructure needed to allow the transition to an all-electric fleet.

The Nova Bus release said Regina Transit will be buying only battery-electric models as of this year, which means all of its fleet will be powered by alternative technology by 2040.

“We are proud to have accompanied Regina Transit in its transition to electromobility, first with our hybrid bus model and now with the all-electric LFSe+,” Nova Bus president Ralph Acs said in the company’s release.

“We strongly believe transit agencies and cities such as Regina are paving the way for the success of this important transition to clean transportation, which will support our collective efforts to reduce GHG emissions. We are very happy to be part of the solution at Nova Bus and to support all our clients in this transition.”