Government of Canada and City of Brampton invest in transition to electric bus fleet

BRAMPTON, ON, May 29, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Seniors and Member of Parliament for Brampton West, Maninder Sidhu, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Member of Parliament for Brampton East, His Worship Patrick Brown, Mayor of Brampton on behalf of Brampton City Council, and Josipa Petruni?, President & CEO of the Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC), announced a joint investment of $1.1 million to plan the electrification of the City of Brampton's transit system.

Funding will support Brampton Transit as they undertake their Zero Emission Bus Implementation Strategy and Rollout Plan. The plan will guide Brampton's transition to a full fleet of zero emission electric buses. The study, being undertaken by CUTRIC, includes cost and saving assessments, fleet and facility requirements, energy as a service, resourcing, risk analysis, and advanced predictive modeling for bus deployment. 

This is a critical milestone in the City of Brampton's plan to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. The transition to zero emission buses is anticipated to cut approximately 115 tonnes of CO2 emissions per bus every year, and approximately 53,000 tonnes annually ? which is the equivalent of removing 12,000 cars from the roads.

By investing in infrastructure, the Government of Canada is growing our country's economy, increasing the resiliency of our communities, and improving the lives of Canadians.

"'Our 2030 and 2050 emissions reduction targets are ambitious and require a whole-of-society approach. Since 2015, our federal government has made historic investments in public transportation worth $26.7 billion to support thousands of transit projects across the country. This is in addition to further measures announced in Budget 2023, which will bring total federal investments supporting climate action to over $200 billion. As we move toward the goal of a cleaner environment, a greener economy and good-paying jobs for the future, I applaud the City of Brampton to be part of the solution as the transition to zero-emission buses will provide cleaner, more efficient transportation options to residents of Brampton, and help us meet our emission reduction goals." 

The Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Seniors and Member of Parliament for Brampton West, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities

"The development of Brampton's Zero Emission Bus Implementation Strategy and rollout plan is an important step in reducing emissions and improving the quality of life for residents. This is an investment in the long-term health of the community and will help Canada achieve net zero by 2050." 

Maninder Sidhu, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Member of Parliament for Brampton East

"The City of Brampton is proud to continue our collaboration with CUTRIC in their capacity as the National Zero Emission Bus Planning Service for the Government of Canada. Thank you to our federal partners for their investment in Brampton's Zero Emission Bus Implementation Strategy & Rollout Plan, which is required to help us plan our transition to a full fleet of zero-emission buses in the City of Brampton. Transit electrification builds on Council's Climate Emergency declaration in support of building a Green City, and helps to achieve the goals established by the Government of Canada including the ultimate goal of becoming net zero emissions by 2050."

His Worship Patrick Brown, Mayor of Brampton

"The City of Brampton shares the vision of sustainable, low-carbon public transit system with its partners and supporters the Government of Canada and CUTRIC. I want to thank CUTRIC and the Government of Canada for continuing to collaborate with Brampton Transit as a leader in sustainable transportation and Brampton as a Green City. This implementation strategy is a necessary step in our electrification journey, which is the most significant technological change for bus operations in the history of Brampton Transit."

Marlon Kallideen, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Brampton

"Addressing climate change and preparing for a climate-changed world starts with cities. CUTRIC is proud to work with the City of Brampton and Brampton Transit who, like us, are driven by technology and the need to trail-blaze zero-emission public transit in the country. This project will further support the transformation of Canada's carbon mobility landscape and hopefully encourage other cities and communities to consider a clean transit overhaul of their own."

Josipa Petruni?, President & CEO, Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium

• The Government of Canada is investing $880,000 in this project through the Zero Emission Transit Fund, and the City of Brampton is contributing $220,000.
• Since 2015, the Government of Canada has invested more than $26,7 billion in public transit projects for communities across Canada - the largest public transit investment in Canadian history.
• Launched in 2021, the Zero Emission Transit Fund offers support to public transit and school bus operators across Canada who are electrifying their fleets.
• The Government of Canada is investing $10 million through the Zero Emission Transit Fund over five years to allow CUTRIC to work with transit bus operators to complete planning work, and increase their level of readiness to transition to zero emission bus fleets.
• CUTRIC's mission is to support the commercialization of technologies through industry-led collaborative research, development, demonstration, and integration projects that bring innovative design to Canada's low-carbon smart mobility eco-system.

Building Canada's public transit future: Healthy and sustainable modes of transportation for all 
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/transit-transport/index-eng.html 

Zero Emission Transit Fund 
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/zero-emissions-trans-zero-emissions/index-eng.html 

Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium 
https://cutric-crituc.org/ 

Brampton's Community Energy and Emissions Reduction Plan: 
https://www.brampton.ca/EN/residents/GrowGreen/Pages/Community-Energy-and-Emissions-Reduction-Plan.aspx

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SOURCE Infrastructure Canada