After myriad delays, electric transit buses are poised to start rolling on streets in Greater Victoria, though they won’t yet carry passengers.
BC Transit’s first electric buses are starting to arrive in the Victoria Regional Transit System, ferrying from Vancouver to Victoria starting at the end of April with the last of the 10 expected by fall. While the buses will be visible on city streets, BC Transit is preparing by first training employees. People can expect to see electric buses on local roads during the training period.
First announced in 2019, BC Transit aimed to have 10 electric buses join the region’s fleet in the summer of 2023, awarding a contract to California-based Proterra in May 2022. The company subsequently filed for bankruptcy. Instead, BC Transit is acquiring 66 buses from Nova Bus and New Flyer.
Both the federal and provincial governments committed $395.5 million in July 2023 to help BC Transit make the switch to zero-emission transit buses – 125 heavy-duty, 10 high-capacity (double-decker) and six light-duty vehicles.
