TTC unveils first of 340 new battery-electric buses to join fleet by end of 2026 | CBC News

The TTC unveiled two battery-electric buses on Friday, the first of 340 battery-electric buses that are expected to join the transit agency’s fleet by the end of 2026.

The buses are a result of a joint $700 million in spending by the City of Toronto and the federal government that was announced last year, the TTC said in a news release Friday. 

“Today and every day, we are making a commitment to purchase the best available technology and to green our fleet as quickly as we can, while maintaining a reliable service,” said TTC Board Chair Jamaal Myers at a news conference Friday.

The buses, which are made in Canada, are part of the TTC’s transition toward becoming 100 per cent zero emissions before 2040, Myers said. Battery-electric buses have the “potential for zero tailpipe emissions,” according to the TTC’s website. 

Myers was joined Friday by Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland at a TTC bus garage in Scarborough.

There are already 60 battery-electric buses in the TTC’s fleet, introduced in 2018, Myers said. But he said the new buses have improved battery capacity and are more accessible.  

The TTC also has an existing mix of hybrid-electric and clean diesel buses, according to its website. The transit agency received its last hybrid-electric bus in July, after which all new buses will be battery-electric, the website says. 

Once all 340 new battery-electric buses arrive, the TTC will have the largest battery-electric bus fleet in North America, Myers said. 

“We can’t wait to see all of them on the road,” Chow said at Friday’s conference. 

Chow suggests province could pitch in funding

The joint federal and city funding will also go toward installing chargers and related infrastructure in seven bus garages, Friday’s news release said.

Chow suggested the province could pitch in with funding to add even more battery-electric buses or to hire more people to operate and maintain the fleet. 

She said public transit is “the best way to deal with congestion.” 

Chow also said the new buses include a bike rack. Riders can mix public transit with cycling to “get to where you need to go,”  she said. 

No update on federal funds for Line 2 trains 

During Friday’s news conference, Freeland did not say whether the federal government is committing funds toward replacing trains on the TTC’s Line 2. 

The city has been pushing the federal government for funds to purchase new subway cars for the Bloor-Danforth line for over a year, seeking to replace the current 30-year-old fleet that is nearing the end of its useful life.

CBC News reported the federal government told the TTC in August that it’s eligible to apply to replace the trains under a multi-billion dollar transit fund established earlier this summer. 

“It is anticipated the TTC’s allocation under this funding stream will be sufficient to secure the $758 million in required federal matching funding for the 55 replacement trains,” a staff report to the TTC board said.

The new trains will cost nearly $2.3 billion, with the city, province and federal government splitting that bill.

The province committed to the purchase last November, when it struck its “new deal” with Toronto to fund a variety of city projects, including the new trains — but that cash is contingent on federal participation. 

On Friday, Freeland said the federal government has made and is continuing to make “absolutely historic investments” in public transit systems across the country. 

“Investing in public transit in Toronto is an investment in Canadians and the Canadian economy,” she said. 

She said the federal government is “in constant conversation with the city about more we can do together.”