Sault purchasing two electric buses as part of transit upgrades

The City of Sault Ste. Marie will be making some transit upgrades – including the purchase of two battery-powered buses.

City officials said it marks the beginning of the electrification of the transit fleet.

Municipal politicians and city staff in Sault Ste. Marie were joined by representatives of both the federal and provincial governments to announce a combined investment of $7.8 million in local transit on March 8, 2024. (X/Matthew Shoemaker)The transit upgrades will be paid for through a combined investment of $7.8 million – with a federal contribution of roughly $3.1 million, provincial funds to the tune of $2.5 million and the city kicking in just over $2 million.

Brent Lamming, the city’s director of community services said some preparation will be needed before the first electric bus is put into service.

“We’ll have staff trained on how to service the electric bus versus a conventional diesel bus,” he said.

“Then we’ll deploy that in a safe fashion, likely on a day shift and see how it performs in the conditions here in Sault Ste. Marie.”

Lamming told CTV News that charging stations will need to be installed at the transit garage especially as the city moves toward full electrification.

“We’ll be working together with the PUC to have a much larger power source for the facility here to convert our fleet as we move forward,” he said.

“We’ll ramp up procurement as the years come toward electrification once we have it in service here and proven to be successful.”

Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said the city will ensure the electric buses are able to run in all weather conditions and he suggests there will still be a place for gas-powered buses.

“This is the beginning of a transition to electric buses,” he said.

“But – we’ll be sure that the transit system can operate in all conditions moving forward.”

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Representatives of both the federal and provincial governments were on hand to tout the economic and environmental benefits of electrification.

“The more we can electrify a lot of the equipment that we use, the better it is for the environment, and the better it is for our economy,” said Sault Ste. Marie MPP Ross Romano.

“Sault Ste. Marie is leading Canada in so many ways, whether it’s the electrification of Algoma Steel, the beginning of electrification of our transit fleet,” said Sault Ste. Marie MP Terry Sheehan.

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Other upgrades include the purchasing of eight accessible passenger vans and two ‘parabuses,’ which are primarily used by people with mobility challenges.

City staff said when the new vehicles will be deployed will depend on the length of the procurement process.