Six new electric buses arrive at Durham Transit; will operate out of Oshawa depot

Durham Transit’s bus fleet just got electrified with the arrival of six battery-powered vehicles.

The electric buses mark the first key milestone in the transit company’s E-Mission Zero program, part of its commitment to achieving zero greenhouse gas emissions through a sustainable network of vehicles, infrastructure, and facilities by 2037.

“The introduction of these electric buses will not only reduce our carbon footprint but also provide reliable and efficient service to our growing ridership,” said DRT General Manager Bill Holmes. “This is just the beginning of the work supporting our objective for a sustainable transit future.”

The purchase of the first six battery electric buses and associated equipment and infrastructure was made possible through $12.1 million in funding from the Canada Community-Building Fund (formerly the federal Gas Tax Fund), a federal program administrated by Infrastructure Canada.

Durham Region and DRT have also signed a credit agreement with the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB), which will be used to purchase up to 98 additional electric buses. This agreement provides the Region with low interest financing of up to $62 million over the next four years.

“These new electric buses are a critical step in our journey towards a zero-emission future,” said Region of Durham Chair John Henry, “By reducing transit vehicle emissions, we are fostering a healthier, more sustainable Durham Region for generations to come.”

The electric buses are supplied by Nova Bus and will operate from the Oshawa depot, where dedicated chargers installed by EnerFORGE, part of Oshawa Power Group of Companies, will support daily operations.

The buses will initially be deployed on routes with high rider volume and long cycle times, such as the PULSE routes, and gradually be circulated through other routes to assess operational performance. Each bus can travel at least 225 kilometers before needing to return to the garage.

The introduction of battery electric buses will allow DRT to assess and plan for their transition to a full fleet of zero-emission buses.

DRT purchased the electric buses from Nova in 2022 as part of a pilot program. The vehicles had not arrived when about a third of the company’s entire fleet was destroyed in a massive fire that devastated the Oshawa Bus Depot a year ago.

The fire started in the three-bay bus storage area, which was destroyed due to the high fire load of the stored buses. At least 20 buses inside the facility were damaged of destroyed.