City of Regina to receive $26M from feds to electrify buses

Before Regina introduced diesel vehicles to its fleet of buses, the city’s trolley system was electric. Decades later, the city is another step closer to transitioning back to an electrified transit system.

Regina is set to receive $26.1 million from the federal government through its zero emission transit fund.

Half of the funding will help purchase 26 new electric buses in the next few years and the other $13 million will cover the cost of infrastructure upgrades.

“Our target is to go 100 per cent electric, but it will take time,” said Nathan Luhning, the city’s manager of transit administration.

The entire project is expected to cost $52 million. The city will contribute the remaining $26 million.

The city expects to receive its first electric buses in 2025 with hopes of transitioning its entire 123-bus fleet by 2039.

Upgrades at the city’s transit maintenance centre will take place between 2023 and 2025, and will include installing bus chargers, back-up generators and other equipment necessary to support an electric fleet.

“The charging will be done entirely within the garage. We won’t have any infrastructure on the road,” Luhning said, adding all of the charging will be done overnight.

An electric bus can drive 340 kilometres before running out of battery, according to Luhning.

“Because our buses don’t run 24 hours a day, we don’t have to worry about switching buses off when they get low on charge, so we have an advantage that way,” he said.

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An electric bus costs roughly $1.3 million, while a diesel one comes with a price tag of around $700,000.

Despite the increased purchase cost, Regina Mayor Sandra Masters said there would be significant long-term savings as a result of the transition.

“Any time you’re looking to invest in something that over the course of a lifetime of assets is going to save massive amounts of money in fuel costs into the future to be able to cover 50 per cent of that cost into any project, is enormously significant,” Masters said.

According to Luhning, electric buses are significantly quieter than diesel vehicles. He believes the new fleet will offer a more enjoyable experience for both riders and residents along bus routes.

Besides the reduction in noise, Luhning said residents likely would not notice any major differences in the new buses.

In an effort to reduce emissions in the interim, the city plans to roll out three new hybrid buses in the coming weeks.

The City of Regina is chasing a target of net-zero emissions by 2050.