BC Transit to install electric bus chargers at Nanaimo Transit Facility

BC Transit is beginning construction on a new set of electric bus charging stations at its Regional District of Nanaimo Transit Facility, expanding the work it’s already undertaken to prepare its garages for the next generation of fleets.

Nanaimo is scheduled to receive 10 heavy-duty electric buses after construction is completed this winter. Work to prepare the sites to receive electric buses includes:

• The installation of 16 charging stations.
• The installation of power distribution equipment.
• Upgrades to the bus maintenance facility.

BC Transit notes the public will not be impacted by construction, and no traffic disruptions are expected. Customers can expect bus service to continue as scheduled.

Eight BC Transit systems are lined up for electrification projects, including Nelson, Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Powell River, Sunshine Coast, Victoria and Whistler. In 2024, BC Transit placed orders for 125 heavy-duty electric buses. Twenty-five electric buses are currently in service in Victoria while 16 of these buses will move to their permanent home in Langford.

Electrification projects in Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Powell River and Sunshine Coast are made possible via joint funding from the Zero Emissions Transit Fund, totaling C$168 million (US$122.8 million) from the government of Canada and the province of British Columbia, with contributions from local government partners. Of this amount, C$164 million (US$119.9 million) is allocated to eligible project costs, such as planning, design, and construction while C$4 million (US$2.9 million) covers ineligible costs for expenses not funded through the program.

BC Transit notes that its funding for electric buses and infrastructure was announced in July 2023, supported in part by the Zero Emission Transit Fund and the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.