All three levels of government are investing a total of $112 million to help bring 60 new battery-operated, electric buses to the Halifax area.
The electric fleet will be the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada.
“We continue to aggressively pursue action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Premier Iain Rankin in a news release. “Expanding Halifax Transit’s fleet to include new electric buses will not only improve the capacity of public transit, but it will help us achieve our ambitious climate change goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. It puts us at the forefront of transit electrification in Atlantic Canada.”
The money will also be used to upgrade the Ragged Lake Transit Centre to accommodate the new fleet, including the purchase of charging equipment.
The facility will also undergo a deep energy retrofit, including solar panels, to achieve a net-zero standard.
The buses are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3,800 tonnes annually by 2030.
The federal government is contributing $44.8 million, the province is investing $37 million, and HRM is contributing $29.8 million.
Construction on the facility is expected to begin in 2022 and be complete by 2023.
The request for proposals for the electric buses will be issued later this summer.
All buses should be delivered by 2024.
