Kingston Transit adds two new fully electric buses to fleet
Kingston Transit has some new additions to its fleet, two fully electric buses.
The battery-powered buses are zero emission and can travel on roads for several hours before needing a charge, says Kingston Transit Services Director Jeremy DaCosta.
“It does depend on the route that they’re operating on, and some other factors, like the number of passengers or whether the heating and cooling systems are running because that will depend on how much energy is consumed,” he explains.
The project's total price tag comes in at $2.7 million. A single fully electric bus comes at a price tag of $1.2 million, while a diesel engine bus costs about half that, explains DaCosta. The city says they expect to see savings in the long term.
“The experience of other transits right away is that operational costs do reduce, do go down,” he explains. “What isn’t entirely known, though, is how that will play out over the entire life of the vehicle.”
Funding came from all three levels of government. On Thursday, Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson, Ontario Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney and Kingston and the Islands MP Mark Gerretsen were on hand to launch the new buses.
“It’s an important step in the right direction, the greening of Kingston’s fleet,” says Minister Mulroney.
“It is a real pleasure for me to be here to be here, to see this, to see these buses have arrived,” says Gerretsen. “I’m looking forward to seeing more of these buses arrive. I’m looking forward to the day that [Kingston Transit] can say that the entire fleet is electrified.”
It’s part of a trend by many municipalities across the country to include battery powered public transit. Cities like Ottawa have announced plans to switch over their entire fleet in the coming years.
Paterson says these two vehicles are a starting point.
“We’re going to test them out. We’re going to try them out, we’re going to try to make sure that they work great. That will then build the momentum that we can start to make investments in future buses,” explains Paterson.
“That’s critical for us as a city to be able to lower our carbon emissions, to meet our climate goals, so this is the first two of many.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Democrat who ran on abortion rights flips seat in deeply conservative Alabama
Marilyn Lands, who campaigned on abortion rights in deeply conservative Alabama, won a special election to the Alabama Legislature, in a victory that Democrats say illustrates voter backlash to extreme reproductive restrictions imposed by Republicans.