OC Transpo says moving forward, its Zero Emission Buses (ZEB) program will procure 40-foot e-buses due to limited availability from manufacturers of 60-foot articulated buses.
In an update Thursday about OC Transpo’s plans to add 102 new e-buses to its fleet, the transit department said there’s a delay in the delivery of electric buses. The City of Ottawa has signed an agreement with two manufacturers — Nova Bus and New Flyer – to receive 51 new e-buses from each company by the end of this year and early 2026.
The update sparked multiple disappointments, as the delay and shorter buses will add a strain on the transit service. It will also affect its vision to acquire high-capacity buses. Ottawa councillor Tim Tierney says OC Transpo is now stuck at a point where it must get diesel buses to address the issue.
“We’re already way behind on the electric buses at this point from permit process, whether it’s the 40 or the 60 foot. So yes, hopefully we’ll see something before the end of the year. But again, there’s no more runway left and there is no plan B,” he said.
Tierney adds that had the city bought diesel buses two years ago, it would have been in a better position, as multiple “agencies are trying to get these diesel busses” at the same time.
“So, there’s such a high demand. Obviously, there is cost, inflation, (and) things that tie into it. And we heard today that the steel frame buses that are 16, 17, (and) 18 years old, are not going to survive any longer. So, we’re really in a jam right now,” he said.
Noah Vineberg — Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279 president — says there is a need for 40 to 50, diesel buses, either old or new, as soon as possible.
“Sixty-foot buses were always my favorite. I understand the need to go green. I understand the need for electric fleet going forward as an idea, but in the short term, we’re leaving people behind and we’re not able to address the needs of our public and for myself and for my members and for OC Transpo,” Vineberg said.
“I’m very disappointed that we won’t be having any 60-foot-electric buses. I do understand the difficulties in getting them. I have genuine concerns that high-capacity buses are needed and we’re not addressing that.”
Renee Amilcar, OC Transpo general manager of transit services says though the need for high-capacity buses will require going with diesel fueled ones, the environment will not be affected as public transit remains “a good thing.”
“We hope that we will be able to do so because as my colleagues explained today, we will need some high-capacity buses,” Amilcar said.
Rami El Feghali, transit bus operations and maintenance director says as of January 2025, 55 per cent of OC Transpo’s fleet will be past its life expectancy.
“So, our life expectancy for our fleet is 15 years, as directed by council,” El Feghali said.
Bus production takes between 18 and 24 months, says Daniel Villeneuve, program manager, Capital Projects and Engineering.
“We are in discussions with the bus manufacturers (New Flyer and Nova Bus),” said Villeneuve.
Villeneuve says multiple transit agencies are transitioning to zero emission at the same time, which adds to the problem.
The city continues to train staff and upgrade OC Transpo’s facilities to prepare for the expanded electric bus fleet, according to OC Transpo.
To charge and maintain the e-buses when they arrive, new overhead charging pantographs were recently installed at the St-Laurent garage, says the transit department.
With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Natalie van Rooy