OC Transpo to spend $1B to bring in electric bus fleet by 2027

The City of Ottawa is ready to supercharge plans to electrify its bus fleet by spending nearly $1 billion on 450 buses and charging infrastructure by 2027.

Transit commission endorsed a plan on Wednesday that dramatically speeds up converting the932-bus fleet that currently runs on diesel. The transit agencywill startby purchasing 74 battery-electric buses next year, which are nearly double the price of their diesel counterparts, staff said.

The goal now is to have a zero-emission fleet by 2036, a move that dwarfs theprevious plan for afour-bus pilot project.

• OC Transpo looks to add 2 electric buses to fleet

City staff say the major transition requires not just $760 million for new buses, but also retraining drivers and mechanics, rescheduling routes to deal with a shorter travel range,and spending $204million on charging equipment for Hydro Ottawa toinstall and run in the St. Laurent bus garage.

"The transition costs would not have been affordable without those funding programs from the federal government," said OC Transpo'sPat Scrimgeour.

He was referringto an announcementmade last week that could see the city receive a $400 million loanfrom the Canada Infrastructure Bank,and up to$493 million more in grantsfrom Infrastructure Canada under a $2.75 billion fund for zero-emission public transit and school buses.

"We need all those financial inputs otherwise this deal does not work," said John Manconi, the outgoinghead of OC Transpo.

Big shift

Staff looked at several ways to movetoward a zero-emission fleet, and settled on battery-electric for now, noting40-foot models are now "proven" and can now be bought almost "off the shelf".

The batteries can run about 286 kilometres on one chargeand buses will have small diesel heaters to make sure batteriesdon't draw down too much poweron the coldest winter days, staff said.

Staff promised to check in with council before yearly purchases of replacementbuses, and would keep itself open to other technologies, such as hydrogen.

"We all know how technology evolves. Just think of your iPhones and the evolution of those. It's exponential," said Manconi.

Some councillors noted the new plan was a pivot for Manconifrom past stances he has taken on zero-emission technology and the ability of OC Transpo to convert its fleet. In 2019 he had advised against even starting a pilot project.

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"I was never opposed to electrification of buses or zero-emission buses,"Manconitold reporters. "What I was clearly saying was, unless there was a funding source ... that the city wasn't going to be able to move forward in any meaningful way."

Final city council approval next week

Transit commissioners also sought assurances the buses would indeed perform in winter, and questioned the costs and risks.

Staff acknowledged federal policies could change and buses might notbe as reliable or long-lasting, which it aims to address inwarranties. The city plans toinstall a backup generator at the garage in the case of power outages.

Meanwhile, Manconi noted the fine print on the infrastructure bank loan will say if electric buses don't reapsavings from fuel costs and maintenance, the city doesn't have to repay the loan.

Commission was unanimous in supporting the plan, which now heads to council for final approval June 23.

"Wow. What a fantastic transition. What a great report," said Coun. Shawn Menard, who led the effort to declare a climate emergency back in 2019and further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"We wouldn't be able to meet our targets without this. That is a big, big part of that."

While staff are set to negotiate the funding agreementswith federal partners, the detailswill be brought back tocouncil in the fall before they are signed.