School transport | The electrification of buses is progressing “too slowly”

The electrification of the famous yellow buses transporting school children in Canada is progressing “too slowly”, according to a new study. Barely 1% of them currently run on electricity, says a group that calls on governments to step up the pace in this area.

The state of play in Canada

To date, there are approximately 300 fully electric school buses in Canada, according to the study led by the Canadian Alliance for the Electrification of School Buses (ACEAS), Équiterre and Green Communities Canada. Of the number, 130 would be in Quebec, which acts as the leader in the country, 84 in Prince Edward Island, 52 in British Columbia and 20 in Ontario. These data are only partial, however, and exclude several recent acquisitions. The Legault government claims that Quebec has, as of May 2023, 766 fully electric school buses. Some 530 others are already on order. Nevertheless, out of the total bus fleet, which fluctuates between 45,000 and 50,000 vehicles, this is still very little. “We’re at the start of all this, but the opportunities are great,” says Équiterre’s director of government relations, Marc-André Viau. “A school bus has a predictable route for charging. It is a very favorable candidate for electrification. »

Targets in Quebec

In Quebec, the School Transportation Electrification Program aims for “an electrification rate of 14% by March 2024” for yellow buses. By 2030, the electrification of 65% of the school bus fleet would avoid nearly 800,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHGs). In the urban sector, the transition is also underway: Nova Bus, which has just won a 2.2 billion contract to supply 1,230 electric buses to transport companies by 2027, demonstrates this. To date, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) only has about forty fully electric buses out of its 2,000 vehicles. Around 150 new electric buses will arrive by 2027, however.

Increase the conversion rate

“There are many actions that can be taken to remove barriers and help operators increase the number of electric school buses on the road,” said one of the study’s authors, Jeff Turner, also director of the mobility at Dunsky Energy. Among the preferred avenues, it is suggested, among other things, “to increase the conversion rate of the school bus fleet” to reach 100% electric school buses by 2040. It would be necessary to start electrifying “at least 2850 per year. as early as 2023 over 17 years” to reach “an average conversion of 48,450 buses in 2040,” the report states.

1.25 billion in annual capital

The study also notes that it will necessarily be necessary to increase annual investments. Specifically, its authors estimate that “an annual capital investment of $1.25 billion will be required to support the transition by extending existing federal funding programs for electric school buses and charging infrastructure.” Programs will also need to “become more accessible” to make buses “more affordable”. “Accelerating the adoption of electric school buses is an opportunity to improve children’s health and engage them in a vital climate solution,” said Green Communities Canada Director Brianna Salmon.

Educate, raise awareness, finance

According to Marc-André Viau, the key is to have a “strict” regulatory framework. “A goal can remain a goal for a long time if you don’t put in place the means to achieve it,” he says. For the rest, judges the head of Équiterre, it is necessary to “multiply awareness programs” and support for operators, particularly in terms of labor. “In Quebec, the lifespan of a school bus is 12 years, but we extended that to 14 years to be able to acquire electric buses. Sometimes it is better to delay so as not to have to put diesel coaches back on the roads,” he concludes.