The Victoria Regional Transit System is set to deploy its first electric buses by autumn, following the April delivery of 10 battery-electric vehicles procured from Nova Bus and New Flyer. BC Transit, the system’s operator, confirmed the phased roll-out is underway and expects all 10 vehicles to be in regular service by the end of the year.
The deployment is part of a wider push toward fleet electrification. BC Transit initially ordered 66 electric buses in May 2024 and has since increased the total order to 125 vehicles. While no timeline has been confirmed for the remaining deliveries, the agency stated that 80 electric buses will be allocated to other regional transit systems across British Columbia by the end of 2026.
Although the specific models have not been disclosed, BC Transit says each vehicle is expected to “save about one tanker truck of diesel fuel per year” and cut carbon emissions by nearly 95 per cent.
“This is an important milestone in our efforts to provide cleaner, more sustainable transit solutions for communities across British Columbia,” a BC Transit spokesperson said. “Our goal is to steadily grow our electric fleet and deliver long-term environmental and operational benefits.”
The electric bus initiative has been supported through multiple funding streams. The initial 10-bus deployment was backed by a $28.6 million CAD investment from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, along with contributions from the federal and provincial governments and the Victoria Regional Transit Commission. In July 2023, BC Transit secured an additional $395.5 million CAD under the Zero Emission Transit Fund to expand its electric bus program.