E-Buses Coming to Cape Breton Regional Municipality

The Nova Scotia government is investing $300,000 for the first phase of a study to bring electric transit buses to Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM).

By partnering with the federal government and CBRM, the province is able to establish the infrastructure that allows for e-buses, starting with a net-zero electric bus maintenance facility and a community transit hub.

The total project cost for the phase one planning stage is $900,000.

“Transitioning to electric transit can help us address one of the leading sources of carbon emissions,” said Derek Mombourquette, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development and MLA for Sydney-Whitney Pier, on behalf of Chuck Porter, Minister of Energy and Mines. “We are committed to advancing our climate change goals, which includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions and cutting overall emissions to 53 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.”

Phase 1 of the project will include the concept design for the new terminal building, transit service and route optimization studies, and a comprehensive electric bus plan. In addition to the province’s $300,000 investment in this phase of the project, the federal government is contributing $360,000 and CBRM is contributing over $240,000.

The maintenance facility and transit hub will replace the existing transit maintenance facility that is at the end of its usable life and will support recent expansions of the transit service, along with current and future transit fleet electrification plans.

Quotes:

“Safe and reliable public transit systems contribute to making Canadian communities good places to live, work, and raise families, which is why we are investing $360,000 to improve Cape Breton’s public transit system. Together with partners, we will continue to support public transit infrastructure across the country so that people can get where they need to go in faster, safer and cleaner ways. Canada’s infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country, and builds cleaner, more inclusive communities.”

– Jaime Battiste, Member of Parliament for Sydney-Victoria, on behalf of Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

“Partnerships with the federal and provincial government are important as we continue to build and improve our public transit system. Our first steps toward electric buses for Cape Breton Transit will come after a thorough planning process to examine all of the logistics. We look forward to the results of the studies and the exciting opportunities ahead.”

– Amanda McDougall, mayor, Cape Breton Regional Municipality

“The conversion to electric buses requires significant route planning centered around a maintenance facility and transit hub. There are many considerations involved in a successful pilot project and this funding will help us plan the next steps forward.”

– Wayne MacDonald, director, Engineering and Public Works, Cape Breton Regional Municipality

Quick Facts:

• CBRM has the second largest transit fleet in Nova Scotia
• the electric buses will be added to the current bus fleet in CBRM
• Phase 1 reports and a concept design of the new bus maintenance terminal are expected in early 2022
• Phase 2 includes detailed design and construction and will begin following Phase 1

Additional Resources:

Nova Scotia Renewable Energy plan: https://energy.novascotia.ca/renewables