Joint funding will make a battery electric pilot program in the city of Barrie, Ontario, possible. The C$3.3 million (US$2.45 million) includes C$1.65 million (US$1.23 million) from the federal government to support the program. The government of Canada's share of the project investment is provided through the Zero Emissions Transit Fund.
The city is developing a battery electric bus program after the city council endorsed the conversion of the Barrie Transit fleet to battery electric buses in June 2021.
The funding will support the purchase of two electric buses and the required charging infrastructure. Barrie Transit will study the vehicle operations to gather data on future electricity demand and infrastructure requirements, which will inform Barrie’s plans for the full electrification of its transit fleet.
“The city of Barrie is committed to reducing Barrie’s corporate emissions to net-zero by the year 2050. This investment from the federal government will help us move closer to that goal by enabling us to move quicker towards a greener transit system for our community,” said Mayor of Barrie Alex Nuttall.
