Price of electric buses not 'sustainable at this time' for capital area

The transit company serving P.E.I.'s capital region has been told it is going to have to wait for electric buses.

T3 Transitwhich operates the bus service in Charlottetown, Stratford, and Cornwallannounced an ambitious plan in January for a fleet of 14 electric buses. The federal government had already agreed to cover 40 per cent of the $20.5 million cost.

But a transit committeewith representatives from the three municipalitieshas rejected the proposal.

'More attainable'

Terry MacLeod, chair of Charlottetown's environment and sustainability committee, said there is a need to expand the serviceand not enough money to buy electric buses and the associated infrastructure.

"The price tag of an electric bus it wasn't sustainable at this time, but that's not to say it's something we're not looking at," said MacLeod.

In a report to Charlottetown council, the committee said a diesel bus costs about $600,000compared to $1 million for anelectric bus.

"It'll be a capital budget in two years' time and we're hoping that by that time there'llbe a little more infrastructure for the electric buses as well and make it more attainable," MacLeod said.

The committee has instead applied for funding through the federal government for six diesel buses at a cost of $4.5 million.

Mike Cassidy of T3 Transit saidthe decision wasn't a surprise because he had input, but his long-term goal is still to focus on electric.

"It's not that there wasn't a desire to go electric," he said. "We just did not feel comfortable as a committeethat we had enough good information to make the decision on electric."

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