Latest news with #SharonFleming
Edmonton Journal
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Edmonton Journal
City of Calgary announces procurement of 120 electric transit buses
More than 100 emission-free buses will be rolling along Calgary's streets in the next three years. Article content Calgary Transit is purchasing 120 new electric buses, the city announced Friday, thanks to funding support from a previous federal government grant. Article content Article content The procurement of Canadian-made Nova LFSe+ electric buses from longtime supplier Nova Bus will replace some aging diesel-fuelled vehicles and strengthen service reliability, the city said in a news release. Article content Article content The e-buses are already being used in Banff, Toronto and Ottawa, and have 'proven performance in Canadian climates,' the city said. Article content Article content 'Thanks to federal support, the investment will increase fleet size while diversifying fuel sources and reducing long-term costs,' the release stated. Article content Under the previous Justin Trudeau government, federal ministers announced a $325-million grant for the City of Calgary in June 2023 to aid in the purchase of 259 electric buses. Article content In line with federal targets, the city is aiming to decarbonize its transit system by 2050. Calgary Transit is in the midst of an almost half-billion-dollar fleet transition. Article content The funding breakdown for that transition is $100 million from the city, $123 million from the Canada Infrastructure Bank and $220 million from the Zero Emission Transit Fund. The federal funding includes both bus costs and infrastructure and facility upgrades. Article content Article content The electric bus program is only one part of our multi-faceted fleet plan that will continue to look at different opportunities to incorporate other fuels in our fleet as well,' Calgary Transit director Sharon Fleming said in an interview Friday. Article content Article content Deliveries will begin in 2027 and all 120 buses are slated to be in use by the end of 2028. Article content Once in service, the 120 e-buses would account for approximately 10 per cent of the city's bus and shuttle fleet, according to Fleming. Article content 'It will also give us an opportunity to try electric buses,' she said. 'If we're to one day go to hydrogen buses, a lot of the platform that we use to run the electric buses is actually replicated in the hydrogen fuel cell buses, so it gives us some learnings we could use in the future.'
CTV News
08-08-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
Calgary Transit announces purchase of 120 new electric buses
Calgary Transit has announced plans to expand its fleet with the purchase of 120 new electric buses. The move will facilitate the replacement of multiple aging diesel vehicles. Officials say thanks to federal support, they were able to purchase 30–40 more buses than would have been possible with diesel or compressed natural gas (CNG) options. 'This investment means more reliable service, lower operating costs over time and cleaner air in our communities,' said Sharon Fleming, director of Calgary Transit, in a Friday news release. The buses are being purchased by Nova Bus, part of the Volvo Group, and are Nova LFSe+ electric buses. Calgary Transit says the new buses will look similar to Calgary's current Nova Bus CNG models. They will be used primarily on shorter routes and during peak times to enhance service and reduce emissions in high-density areas. All 120 buses are expected to be in service by the end of 2028.
Global News
15-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
Calgary Transit increased service last year but ‘tapped out' by funding gap
More people are riding Calgary Transit than before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the service is struggling to keep up with growth and is asking the city for more funding to get there. Officials from Calgary Transit were at city hall Wednesday to provide an update to the city's Infrastructure and Planning Committee on RouteAhead, a 30-year plan to significantly expand transit service across the city. According to transit, ridership increased to over 101 million trips in 2024, an increase of 12 per cent over 2023 and on demand service was extended to 11 new neighbourhoods. Frequency on the Red and Blue Line CTrains increased to at least every 10 minutes, 15 hours per day, seven days per week as well. But transit officials noted costs to deliver the service are growing, including fuel, wages, and maintenance, with a request to council for $3 million in one-time funding from the city's reserves to help with service pressures in 2025. Story continues below advertisement 'We're looking at all kinds of efficiencies and trying to improve the routes we have but we're really tapped out,' said Calgary Transit director Sharon Fleming. 'We need to get to a point where we're truly investing in the lines in the primary transit network to provide the faster frequent service that Calgarians need.' Currently, only 160,000 Calgarians or 10 per cent of the city's population lives within 400 metres of the primary transit network, Fleming said. View image in full screen Calgary's current primary transit network. Calgary Transit Officials also asked the committee to prioritize funding for the RouteAhead strategy in upcoming budget deliberations, which envisions half of Calgarians, or nearly one million people, living within 400 metres of the primary transit network when it's fully built out. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy But the 10-year plan to implement RouteAhead includes an annual $15 million increase to transit's operating funding, an additional $45 million per year for new buses and trains, and a $500-million investment in a new fleet storage and maintenance facility. Story continues below advertisement That funding would get transit up to 10 minutes service on the primary transit network at least 15 hours a day, seven days a week by 2034, the report said. View image in full screen Calgary's plan for a fully built out primary transit network including the Green Line LRT and bus rapid transit. Calgary Transit 'We want to serve Calgarians in the way they deserve to be served and we can't because we don't have the operating budget,' Fleming told reporters. Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp, who chairs the committee, said funding for increased transit service is necessary but wants to see a priority given to safety on the service; after a transit driver was assaulted Wednesday morning. 'I don't have a problem with the recommendations that are in front of us today. What I will say is we have a bit of a gap on putting a little more money into safety on our transit,' she told reporters. Story continues below advertisement 'You can put as much money as you want into transit but if people aren't taking it because it's not safe, then that is an issue.' Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said transit is an essential service and both safety and service must be considered. 'We get ourselves caught up in these conversations about what's more important providing transit service or providing safety? They're both important, they go hand in hand,' she said at a separate news conference. However, experts note how to fund transit is becoming an issue across the country, with transit agencies across the country advocating the federal and provincial governments to pitch in on operating costs. In Calgary, just 36 per cent of operating costs were covered by fare revenue last year. 'The funding model we have now of just fares and property taxes is completely broken,' said David Cooper, principal at Leading Mobility. 'We're not going to get people to realistically take transit unless we re-look at how we fund it and right now the model we have is completely broken.' Calgary Transit projected a $33 million funding shortfall for 2025 in last year's budget due to growing costs of the low-income transit pass program, which sold more than 537,000 passes in 2024, Fleming said. Story continues below advertisement Council stepped in during last year's budget deliberations with one-time funding to fill the shortfall. The $3 million funding request was approved by committee 7-1 with Ward 4 Coun. Sean Chu in opposition, and will now go to city council as a whole for a final decision. Committee also approved the request to have administration prioritize RouteAhead during budget deliberations in November, with Ward 2 Coun. Jennifer Wyness the sole vote in opposition.
