The governments of Canada and Quebec have announced that the Société de transport de Laval (STL) will move forward with the procurement of 10 fully electric, 40-foot long buses with the intention of establishing its first line of entirely electric buses by the year 2020.
“I am pleased to see that the Société de transport de Laval will be using the funding allotted to them under the federal Gas Tax Fund to purchase electric buses, which will ensure a cleaner and greener future for Laval,” said François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. “Investing in public transit infrastructure plays an important role in developing our communities and supports growth that benefits everyone. Through projects like this one, the Government of Canada is helping communities improve residents’ mobility and meet growing demand for public transit.”
In total, the Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec will provide more than $9.6 million in financial support under the federal Gas Tax Fund and Quebec’s contribution.
“The Government of Quebec is firmly committed to accelerating the transition to sustainable transport, in order to become North America’s leader in this field, said André Fortin, Minister of Transport, Sustainable Mobility and Transport Electrification. “The support announced today for the procurement of these fully electric buses for the Société de transport de Laval reaffirms our commitment and falls in line with the Plan d’action en électrification des transports 2015‑2020.”
Following the call for tenders, which was launched in February of 2018, New Flyer Industries Canada won the contract, having had the lowest bid that met both the technical and commercial requirements of the call. The STL received support from the Association du transport urbain du Québec (ATUQ) at the conclusion of the call for tenders.
This project is funded through the Programme d’aide aux immobilisations en transport en commun of the Société de financement des infrastructures locales du Québec (SOFIL), which aims to provide financial support to public transport authorities, and to municipalities providing these services, to support the maintenance, improvement, and development of their assets.
