By Justin Dionne

Electric buses coming to Grande Prairie

Feb 13, 2019 | 2:38 PM

We’ll soon see electric transit buses on the streets of Grande Prairie.

Today city councilors took a ride on the city’s first electric bus.

Manager of Transit Services Steve Harvard says the city currently owns two electric buses, which will begin their regular service in the coming weeks.

“We’re expecting the first bus to be on the road next week, then the second one shortly after that. The second one is currently just getting the decals put on it,” says Harvard. “This bus should last 15 to 18 years, and the battery itself is actually designed to have a longer lifespan.”

Harvard notes the city plans to acquire up to three more busses and the cost of each is about $640-thousand. The Alberta Government is paying for two-thirds of the cost of all the electric busses.

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How soon the city sees the three other buses depends on how long manufacturing takes, but Harvard predicts it’ll be about six months.

In the spring, solar panels are going to be installed at the service centre which will be used to charge the buses.

Harvard explains the new buses can operate in extremely cold weather, but for a reduced amount of time.

“Temperatures have not made any significant difference. It does reduce the amount of time that the bus can be on the road because a lot of the systems are working. The heater is working a lot more, etc. – but in terms of functionality, they haven’t experienced any issues, any breakdowns or whatever because of the weather.”

Harvard adds the motivation for buying electric buses was reducing emissions and making transit more efficient and cost-effective. He says although the front-end cost for these buses is higher, the operating costs significantly make up for it.