Here's a look at OC Transpo's first electric bus
Ottawa residents got their first look Friday at the future of OC Transpo's bus fleet.
City officials unveiled the city's first electric bus at OC Transpo's garage on St. Laurent Boulevard, set to hit the road early next year.
The battery-powered bus is one of four that will begin picking up passengers in 2022. By 2023, 74 more electric buses will be added to the fleet, with 450 in operation by 2027. The goal is to have an entirely electric bus fleet by 2036.
Mayor Jim Watson, city councillors and the head of Hydro Ottawa were on hand for the big reveal on Friday.
“With the launch of these four battery-electric buses early next year, OC Transpo will take a critical first step in its conversion to a zero-emission bus fleet,” Watson said.
The garage has been retrofitted with plug-in charging stations for the new buses, which will offer quieter rides. The chargers can fully charge a bus from empty to full in five hours.
"The first thing you notice is how quiet it is," said transit commission chair Coun. Allan Hubley. "The next thing I noticed was: it's almost identical to the existing 40-footers, so that will be advantage for our regular users that have their favourite seat, that kind of thing."
The four buses were originally scheduled to hit the road this year, but the city now says they will enter service in early 2022.
City council approved a plan in June to purchase only zero-emission buses going forward.
- with files from Peter Szperling, CTV News Ottawa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.