The Canadian government is taking positive steps toward more sustainable transit with a significant investment in electric vehicles.
With support from the Canadian federal government, British Columbia is investing in 115 electric buses and accompanying infrastructure, according to reporting from CleanTechnica.
The first group of 66 vehicles is expected to arrive in batches between 2025 and 2026. This electrification project follows similar steps in other regions of the Great White North. Intelligent Transport reports that $400 million will be distributed to municipalities and provinces throughout the country.
These efforts mirror changes being made in the United States. For example, starting in 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency invested $1 billion to help school districts across the country purchase all-electric school buses. In 2022, about 2,000 schools applied for funding for school bus electrification from the federal government.
The EPA recently announced an additional $400 million to help school districts switch to electric bus fleets under the Clean School Bus Program.
According to the United States Department of Transportation, replacing existing transit infrastructure with electrified alternatives will significantly curb pollution, which will make extreme weather less frequent and improve the health of communities.
Investment in public and electric transit options represents a double win for the climate. For one, electric buses are better for the environment, per Environment America, and more cost-efficient than their gas-powered counterparts.
Additionally, buses, trains, and other forms of public transit can transport far more people at a fuel and space cost similar to personal vehicles. Improved transit options can reduce the amount of traffic on roads, and according to the American Public Transit Association, bus riders are less likely to be involved in a fatal accident than people using personal vehicles.
This move is considered a positive step in an emerging market, with benefits that go beyond cutting pollution.
BC Transit called it "a new chapter in BC Transit's sustainability journey."
Environment America writes: "Electric buses [are] an increasingly viable option for many transit agencies and school districts."
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