TTC Chair Jaye Robinson and Mayor John Tory joined Marco Mendicino, Member of Parliament for Eglinton-Lawrence and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities to launch the first of the TTC’s all-electric buses into service on the 35 Jane route.
“Investing in urban public transit is essential to ensuring people can spend less time in traffic and more time with their families,” Mendicino said. “The new zero-emission electric buses will provide reliable service for transit users on the 35 Jane route and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Jane and Finch community for years to come.”
The bus, manufactured by New Flyer Industries Inc., arrived in Toronto in April and has since undergone testing and commissioning as well as operator training. It is the first of 60 electric buses the TTC will have by the first quarter of 2020, making up one of the largest mini-fleets of electric buses in North America.
In addition to New Flyer, the TTC is also procuring electric buses from Proterra Inc. and BYD Canada Co. Ltd., allowing the TTC to inform future procurement through a head-to-head evaluation.
The electrification of vehicles is a key component of the City’s TransformTO climate action strategy, which targets an 80 per cent reduction in local greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To meet that target, 100 per cent of vehicles in Toronto must transition to low-carbon energy by 2050. The electrification of buses is an example of the City’s commitment to lead by example. Vehicles generate about one-third of the emissions in Toronto today.
The TTC’s new eBuses operate on truly green propulsion technology with zero tailpipe emissions. In Ontario, generation of electricity for overnight charging is 100% nuclear and completely free of GHG emissions.
The Government of Canada and the City of Toronto are investing $140 million in these electric buses as part of the federal Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF).
For more information on the TTC’s green initiatives, please visit ttc.ca/green.
