A recently announced federal grant is helping Sarnia buy its first electric buses.
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The city and Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada recently announced $4.9 million from the federal Rural Transit Solutions Fund to buy one six-meter and two 12-meter zero-emission buses, and install three charging stations at Sarnia Transit’s Michener Road garage, said city transit manager Michelle Carter.
The buses could arrive in 2026, she said. Plans are to pilot the larger buses on different routes, collecting data to see where they’re best suited.
The smaller bus would be used by the city’s Care-A-Van program to provide on-demand service for seniors and people with special needs, she said.
The city has an agreement with provincial government agency Metrolinx to source its buses, she said.
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“This will be a learning process,” Carter said, adding Sarnia plans to communicate with other municipal transit agencies who’ve already made the switch. “Everybody is kind of learning from each other.”
Sarnia also is contributing to the $6-million project, with the overall funding expected to cover needed transit facility electrical upgrades, tools and training, plus the charging stations and buses, Carter said.
“We can’t thank the Government of Canada enough for this generous support,” she said in a statement. “It will make a tremendous difference on the ground as we work to modernize our transit fleet, while maintaining delivery of accessible, convenient service to our residents.”
Sarnia budgeted $2.5 million in 2024 for zero-emission fleet upgrades, and has another $2.5 million penciled in for zero-emission upgrades in 2025.
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Roughly the same amounts earmarked for conventional diesel and gas buses to replace older vehicles in the city’s 29-bus fleet.
Buying enough zero-emission buses fast enough to keep up with fleet retirement expectations isn’t feasible, Carter said.
“So we will still look for a mix as we move forward,” she said. “As we purchase electric, we may still need to purchase diesel or gas buses.”
Details of a $200,000 study into how an electric city bus fleet could work are expected in October or November, Carter said.
Sarnia Transit accounts for about 42 per cent of the city’s yearly fuel use, including about two-thirds of its diesel consumption, David Jackson, Sarnia’s engineering and operations general manager, said.
The city uses more than 700,000 liters of diesel and nearly 650,00 liters of gasoline every year, according to a city report.
The Rural Transit Solutions Fund, part of a federal climate plan, aims to support making public transit clean and affordable in every community, a release about the announcement says.
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