Province puts brakes on electric school bus

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This article was published 20/10/2022 (1466 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Seine River School Division is being told to power down and sit tight after getting charged up on the prospect of purchasing Manitoba’s first electric school bus.

At an Oct. 11 board meeting, secretary-treasurer Scott Carleton updated trustees on his discussions with the province following a Sept. 27 board motion expressing interest in an electric school buses pilot project.

Trustee Gary Nelson had proposed using a portion of the division’s annual surplus to buy an electric school bus. Half the cost of the purchase would be offset by available federal funding.

Electric school buses have a higher price tag but a lower operating cost than diesel and gasoline buses.

Since then, Carleton spoke with Chris Hagen, senior field officer at Manitoba Education’s Pupil Transportation Unit.

Hagen told Carleton the province isn’t ready to licence electric school buses for student transport. The province is, however, looking for an expert to research electric school buses, which have been crashed tested and are permitted on Manitoba roadways.

“We could drive it around, but we couldn’t put students on it,” Carleton explained.

“I’m somewhat shocked and disappointed,” Nelson said.

He noted Manitoba produces an abundance of hydroelectricity and is home to a bus manufacturer heavily invested in electrification.

In July, the province contributed nearly $170 million toward a tripartite funding agreement that will allow Winnipeg Transit to buy 100 new electric buses.

“We’re a willing dance partner,” Nelson said. “Please let us dance.”

He worried Ottawa’s funding could expire before the province gives Seine River a green light.

The Zero Emission Transit Fund expires in 2026. The website for the $2.75-billion fund specifically mentions school bus electrification, and lists school boards as an example of public bodies that can apply.

According to Infrastructure Canada, the transportation sector accounts for 25 percent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. About 82 percent of Canada’s electricity is generated from zero emission power sources.

Carleton said Hagen knows Seine River wants to be “front and centre” if the province approves a pilot project.

In the meantime, the board of trustees is trying political pressure. The board carried a motion that will see its resolution brought forward at the next annual convention of the Manitoba School Boards Association.