BRAMPTON, ON (July 29, 2019) – Today, Mayor Patrick Brown, on behalf of Brampton City Council, welcomed a significant investment by the Government of Canada in the milestone Pan-Canadian Electric Bus Demonstration and Integration Trial in Brampton.

The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announced $11.15 million in funding towards Phase 1 of the pilot project, which will test battery electric buses in Brampton.

This first-of-its-kind project is the result of ongoing collaboration between Brampton Transit and the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC), manufacturers of the fully electric buses New Flyer Industries and Nova Bus, and charging station manufacturers ABB and Siemens. The unprecedented initiative has brought multiple levels of government, bus and charger manufacturers, system integrators, academia, and funding partners together to implement electric buses in Brampton.

This will be the largest single global deployment of standardized and fully interoperable battery electric buses and high powered overhead on-route charging systems, with eight electric buses (six by New Flyer Industries and two by Nova Bus) and four charging systems (three by ABB Group and one by Siemens).

The breakthrough battery electric buses with zero tailpipe emissions will be launched on two existing conventional routes in Brampton: routes 23 Sandalwood and 26 Mount Pleasant. New overhead on-route charging stations will be launched at the Mount Pleasant Village terminal, the Queen Street/Highway 50 Züm station and the Sandalwood Transit Facility. The entire project will cost an estimated $15.96 million. 

The electric buses will arrive on Brampton’s streets in late 2020/early 2021.

Brampton Transit is committed to promoting new and innovative solutions to provide a high-quality service that reduces the City’s overall carbon footprint and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Brampton Transit currently operates 441 buses in its fleet, including 121 diesel-electric hybrid Züm bus rapid transit buses.

Quotes

“A well-connected transit network is critical to building our position on Canada’s Innovation Corridor. Today’s announcement will bring more Brampton innovation to the Corridor, and position Brampton as a leader in sustainable transportation. The new e-buses are a testament to Council’s commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and building a Green City.”
   
- Mayor Patrick Brown

“Brampton City Council has joined 35 other municipalities to declare a climate emergency. The e-bus launch will be a huge milestone in our journey to reducing greenhouse gas emissions generated in Brampton by 80 per cent by 2050. We are excited and thank all our partners in this venture.”

- Councillor Rowena Santos, Chair of Community Services

“Brampton Transit has introduced a number of new technologies and initiatives over the past several years in order to provide excellent service to our customers. This is a project where we are testing new, innovative technologies. We are proud and excited to see this global-first project move forward.”

- Alex Milojevic, General Manager, Brampton Transit