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Grand River Transit unveils its first all-electric bus; more on their way

February 16, 2024 – The first of Grand River Transit’s electric buses will begin service in the Region of Waterloo (Ontario) as part of its zero-emission bus pilot project. An additional 10 electric buses are expected this year.

As part of the pilot, GRT will collect information on how battery-operated buses handle different routes and driving conditions, and gather feedback from customers.

GRT ordered the Nova Bus LFSe+, which promises long driving range and reduced maintenance costs, and produces no emissions. The vehicle offers two charging options (overhead and plug-in), while its modular battery options are capable of storing up to 564 kWh of on-board energy.

Funding for the buses, and associated electric chargers located at the Northfield garage, breaks down as follows:

• $6,048,400 from Government of Canada’s Public Transit Infrastructure Stream, through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program
• $5,039,829 from Government of Ontario
• $4,032,771 from Region of Waterloo

The buses will be housed and charged at the Northfield Drive Maintenance Facility (Waterloo, Ont.), which opened in September 2022. Six chargers have been installed, and electric buses can be fully charged in about four hours.

This initiative is part of the region’s plan to reduce GHG emissions by 80% by 2050. (In 2020, the Region of Waterloo stopped purchasing diesel-only buses, switching to hybrid and electric options, notes GRT.)