TTC puts first all-electric bus into service on Toronto roads

The TTC’s first all-electric bus is now being operated on city roads.

On Monday morning, TTC chair Jaye Robinson, Mayor John Tory and Marco Mendicino, MP and parliamentary secretary to the minister of infrastructure and communities, launched the first of 60 all-electric buses, called eBuses, into service on the 35 Jane route.

The bus arrived in April and has undergone testing and commissioning as well as operator training.

The 60 eBuses, 25 of them manufactured by New Flyer Industries Inc., will all be in operation by the first quarter of 2020. It is one of the largest mini-fleets of electric buses in North America, said the city in a release sent out Monday.

“Our city is continuously looking at ways to reduce our carbon emissions. Introducing electric buses to our robust fleet is one of the many ways we are advancing the TTC and demonstrating our leadership in becoming an environmentally friendly city,” Tory said.

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Robinson said the TTC is working towards a zero-emissions fleet by 2040 by prioritizing network-wide service improvements, like implementing eBuses, to reach its goal.

“This is an example of how we are modernizing our service, innovating for the long term and planning for climate change,” said Robinson.

The federal government and the City of Toronto provided $140 million in funding.

The new eBuses will operate on green propulsion technology with zero tailpipe emissions.

The city said the electrification of 100 per cent of its vehicles in Toronto is a key component of the city’s TransformTO climate action strategy. The target of that initiative is an 80 per cent reduction in local greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The city said vehicles currently generate about one-third of emissions in Toronto.