The town of Oakville celebrated the unveiling of Oakville Transit’s first-ever zero-emission battery-electric bus, Oakville Transit’s first batch of zero-emission battery-electric specialized buses arrived in January 2023. Electric vehicles will replace existing diesel-run buses and will be how Oakville continues to expand its transit fleet.
Manufactured by Karsan, the 20-foot e-Jest model buses will be hitting the streets this spring and will be used to deliver transit services such as care-A-van, Home to Hub and Ride On-Demand (in north and southeast Oakville).
To support battery charging for the electric buses, 10 charging stations have also been installed at Oakville Transit’s operations facility.
The town is on track to acquire the first 15 zero-emission battery-electric buses to be used for conventional services (larger buses operating for fixed routes) in early 2024. Over the next five years, it is planned that approximately 50 per cent of Oakville Transit’s fleet will be converted from diesel to electric.
The town took steps for the electrification of transit buses in 2011 with the building of a new bus garage and service centre, which features a heightened roof and crane necessary for servicing electric buses. Updates to the facility are planned in 2023 to support transit fleet electrification.
The provincial and federal governments are providing more than $2.5 billion to support municipal transit systems across the province in response to COVID-19 through the Safe Restart Agreement.
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