Gay: The last thing OC Transpo needs is new electric buses
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and council continue the push to phase out Ottawa's diesel buses and replace them with electric ones. While this may sound like an environmental and fiscal win, it's not the solution Ottawans need.
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If the city wants to lower emissions, the priority shouldn't be replacing buses; it should be getting more people to ride them. Public transit becomes attractive when it is three things: fast, reliable and affordable. People choose it when it's more affordable than ordering an Uber or paying for parking, and when it's faster than sitting in traffic. The real question OC Transpo needs to ask is: What will convince more people to leave their cars and choose the bus instead? That should be the first goal.
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Gas-powered buses emit far fewer emissions per passenger than individual gas-powered cars. Shifting more people onto buses will have a much greater environmental impact than shifting from diesel to electric buses — especially if ridership rates remain the same.
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Federal and provincial subsidies should focus on boosting ridership. Expanding routes, increasing service frequency, lowering fares and offering competitive wages for drivers are all ways to incentivize a fast, reliable and affordable transportation system.
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The need is clear. An active petition signed by more than 1,000 frustrated Kanata residents highlights the quality-of-life impact of poor OC Transpo service. 'Buses are less reliable'; 'The buses are never on time'; 'It takes us more than 2 hrs to get to downtown'; are just a sampling of the comments on this petition. Electrification won't fix any of that.
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Over half of Ottawa's buses are between 14 and 22 years old and should be replaced. But are electric buses the right choice? According to a recent article, the fleet still seems to be operating well for its age: just 0.4 per cent of trips were cancelled in May due to mechanical issues, and only 0.2 per cent due to unavailable buses. Replacing the older half of Ottawa's fleet should be a priority, but replacing them with electric buses — a $1.3-million dollar price tag compared to diesel buses at $650,000 — would double the upfront costs.
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Unlike many transit systems, OC Transpo must also take into account the extreme cold that Ottawans and their vehicles face. In extreme cold, the range of electric buses can be reduced by 40 per cent. Diesel buses are much more able to put up with Canada's winters.
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Even the rollout of electric buses seems tumultuous. Coun. Tim Tierney recently voiced his frustration: 'Electric buses sound like a great idea, it's all rainbows and unicorns, but unless they actually get delivered, we have a problem and they're already years behind schedule.' At this point, he said, 'I'm not confident we'll see them.'
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