Transit Commission meeting - June 16, 2021
Transit Commission approves report paving the way for OC Transpo's conversion to zero-emission bus fleet
The Transit Commission today approved a report, Zero-Emission Buses for OC Transpo, which provides a framework to explore the further electrification of OC Transpo's transit fleet. If approved at City Council on June 23, OC Transpo will negotiate an agreement with the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) and seek funding from Infrastructure Canada that could result in 450 zero-emission buses phased into OC Transpo's bus fleet by 2027, with a full electrification of the bus fleet possible by 2036.
The agreement with the CIB and potential Infrastructure Canada funding will offset any added capital costs for OC Transpo's transition to battery-electric buses, and ensure the conversion is affordable under the City's Long-Range Financial Plan for transit. Energy supply and charging infrastructure for this transition will be supplied through an agreement with Hydro Ottawa.
Upon finalization of partner agreements, OC Transpo will recommend purchasing 74 40-foot battery-electric buses and charging infrastructure as part of the City's 2022 capital budget. These new buses would enter service in 2023 and join the four zero-emission electric buses that are expected to be in service later this year. As part of the report, OC Transpo also recommends that all future bus purchases should be for zero-emission buses, as long as they meet operational requirements and can be purchased in a way that is consistent with the City's Long-Range Financial Plan for transit.
The Transit Commission also received an update on O-Train Line 1 and bus service operations. Train service reliability remains high, and Rideau Transit Group (RTG) continues to make progress on its rectification plan. All remaining work will continue to be validated through a third-party independent assessment. A temporary service adjustment is taking place starting June 17 to perform track remediation work. Wheel inspection and replacement work also continues. The update also confirmed that ridership remained low in May, at 20 percent of normal levels, due to the stay-at-home order.
Finally, the Transit Commission received a report, 2021 Transit Operating and Capital Budget Q1 Status, indicating a $3.1M surplus for the first quarter of 2021, mainly due to lower than budgeted expenditures, as revenue shortfalls and additional expenditures due to COVID-19 are offset by federal-provincial Safe Restart Agreement (SRA) funding for transit.
Source : City of Ottawa
Meeting and Media Availability Audio
O-Train Line 1 & Bus Service Update
Zero-Emission Buses for OC Transpo