Transdev Canada, which has operations in Québec and Ontario, has invested almost €3m in a fleet of 27 new electric school buses which will go into service at the start of the 2020 school year in September. The buses, developed by Québec-based Lion, will enable Transdev Canada to reduce its emissions by 99% across its school transport networks in Québec’s Estrie and Montérégie regions compared to diesel buses.
Transdev Canada has maintained a technical and commercial partnership with Lion since 2016 and thanks to this investment is to date the largest private operator of electric school buses in North America, increasing its fleet to 31 operational electric buses by the end of 2020. Transdev says it has chosen to develop a specific energy transition in Canada because of its dynamic local ecosystem and the fact that the energy produced locally is mainly hydroelectric and therefore among the cleanest in the world.
Transdev’s ambition is to electrify 100% of its fleet of school buses in Québec by 2025. This Québec investment benefits from the ‘Programme de soutien au déploiement des autobus scolaires électriques au Québec’ which supports the introduction of electric school buses in Quebec and is part of the Québec government’s 2015-2020 Transportation Electrification Action Plan.
“Transdev has long been committed to the energy transition of its vehicle fleet in order to deploy its sustainable mobility solutions throughout the world, in line with its commitment to the European Green Deal and to clean, carbon-free mobility. Battery-powered electric buses are a first step in this transition, while hydrogen and fuel cell-based solutions could eventually become increasingly important. Our ambition is to have a fleet of 100% low-emission vehicles by 2030,” explained Thierry Mallet, Chairman and CEO of Transdev Group. Transdev already operates battery-powered electric buses in the Netherlands, Sweden, France and the UK.
