Government invests in a greener transit facility and electric buses for Cape Breton

SYDNEY — Transit Cape Breton will have new electric buses and an upgraded bus maintenance facility thanks to the combined investment of $54 million from the Governments of Canada, Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

Announced by Mike Kelloway, MP for Cape Breton–Canso, on behalf of Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities; Jaime Battiste, MP for Sydney-Victoria; John White, MLA for Glace Bay-Dominion, on behalf of Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables; and Amanda McDougall-Merrill, Mayor of Cape Breton Regional Municipality, this project will reduce transit emissions and improve service for Cape Breton transit users.

This is the final phase of a project to design and replace the existing transit maintenance facility. The objective is to build a facility capable of achieving net zero emissions by 2030. The new facility will provide maintenance capabilities for the current diesel bus fleet, provide charging and maintenance provisions to support the transition to a fully electric fleet and support recent expansions of the transit service to accommodate 44 electric buses in the future. The project also includes the purchase of six new electric buses and associated chargers.

“Taking bold action on climate change simply makes good business sense. It’s also the right thing to do for people and the planet. Setting a net-zero emissions target by 2030 while building an up-to-date maintenance and storage facility is innovative and an initiative the Government of Canada is embracing,” said Mike Kelloway, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and Member of Parliament for Cape Breton–Canso, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.