The BC Interior’s two biggest cities will be seeing their first electric buses in the next two or three years.
BC Transit announced today that 134 new electric bus charging points will be installed over the next two years across nine communities, including Kelowna and Kamloops.
That infrastructure will support the introduction of electric buses in those communities, with 66 currently on order from a pair of pre-qualified suppliers in Nova Bus and New Flyer.
“Electrification of our fleet is a significant part of our plan to reduce GHG emissions and ensure a cleaner and healthier future for everyone,” explained BC Transit CEO Erinn Pinkerton.
Bus allocations to each community will be confirmed at a later date, but BC Transit expects the 66 buses will arrive incrementally starting in early 2025 through mid 2026.
“BC Transit will be procuring more electric buses to support previously announced funding and will share specific details in future announcements,” said a BC Transit release.
Just under $400 million in funding, shared between BC Transit and all levels of government, was announced in July 2023 and it’s expected to cover the procurement of 115 new battery-electric buses.
“Innovation in our public transit system helps us create a greener future for everyone,” noted Rob Fleming, BC’s minister of transportation and infrastructure.
“As we start to electrify our transit fleet more people will be able to make cleaner transportation choices affordably. The communities of BC will soon be seeing new electrical infrastructure for their transit needs.”
BC Transit’s long-term plan is to achieve a fully-electric bus fleet by 2040 to fulfill its commitment to lower greenhouse gas emissions, a goal outlined in the CleanBC roadmap.
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