TTC announces plans to switch to electric buses

By 2019, you could be riding an electric bus to work every day. How very green of you, *clap clap clap*.

A report set to go before the TTC board on Nov. 13th details a set of proposed transit measures that will contribute towards the city's "TransformTO" action plan, which seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% (against 1990 levels) before 2050.

To start, the transit agency wants to buy 30 "long range battery electric buses" by 2019 at a cost not exceeding $50M.

"Electric buses are the only truly green technology with the potential for zero emissions from generation through to bus operations," reads the report.

The TTC does caution that, because the electric bus industry is so new, it's hard to know exactly much the vehicles will cost to maintain and operate.

That's why the agency wants to start with just 30 of the battery electric buses.

"It would be premature to purchase electric buses in large numbers," reads the report, but "the experience of other transit authorities over the past few years with battery electric buses [in London, Paris and Los Angeles] has been very positive."

The new battery electric buses, as well as 230 requested "new generation hybrid electric buses," would have an expected delivery date of no later than March 31, 2019.

For all these provisos, the TTC is, however, targeting an ambitious date to get emissions free. By 2040, the Commission would like to have phased out all of its older buses and run electric technology exclusively.

There's still a long way to go to get there, but it's nice to know that the TTC has marked this as a priority.