The City of Guelph is teaming up with the federal and provincial governments to purchase 65 electric transit buses and build a bus storage facility at a cost of $177 million.
The announcement was made on Thursday morning at the Guelph Transit Hub by federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna, who said Ottawa’s contribution will be $40 million.
The province is expected to chip in $33 million, while the city’s share will be $104 million.
“Adding electric buses to Guelph’s growing fleet is an excellent example of how we are working with our partners to build resilient infrastructure that meets community needs and supports a low carbon future for Canadians,” McKenna said.
The funding will be spread out across three projects.
The first involves the replacement of 35 diesel buses with long-range electric battery buses, along with the installation of on-route charge stations.
The city will then begin purchasing another 30 electric buses that will add capacity to Guelph Transit’s fleet.
The third project consists of the construction of a new bus storage facility that will be able to store up to 200 vehicles and will include electric charging stations for the new bus fleet.
“The city is grateful to the federal and provincial governments for their support of these exciting transit projects,” Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie said. “This is a milestone moment for Guelph as we work to ensure our transit and transportation systems are future-ready.”
Information surrounding timelines or where the bus storage facility would be built was not provided.
In a statement, Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner said tackling the climate crisis requires an unprecedented transformation of infrastructure.
“By electrifying our bus fleet, Guelph is putting words into action,” he said.
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