Transit union wants to jolt bus fleet
Group says carbon tax should be used to fund electric transition
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/04/2018 (2171 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The union representing Winnipeg Transit drivers says the province should use carbon-tax revenue to finance the upgrade of Transit’s fleet to electric from diesel.
Aleem Chaudhary, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505, said an interest-free loan of $7 million could help Transit purchase 20 electric buses, which could be paid off in six years from lower operational costs.
It costs $62,000 less annually to maintain and operate an electric bus compared to diesel, said Chaudhary, adding those savings could be used to pay off the provincial loan — an initiative he called “pay as you save.”
“After that, it’s money that can be used to improve (transit) infrastructure, reduce fares and generally add more buses and add more security on the buses,” he said Thursday.
Chaudhary cited the recent release of a 16-month-old task-force report examining Winnipeg Transit’s pilot initiative using four electric buses. The report recommended 12 to 20 electric buses be added to Transit’s current fleet of 630.
Electrifying the fleet should be a priority, but one of the major hurdles is how to finance the conversion. An electric bus costs around $850,000, compared to $500,000 for a diesel bus, Chaudhary said.
The province should provide a loan to cover the additional cost to purchase new electric buses, he said.
“We want to see the province and city move together on this,” said Chaudhary, who was accompanied by NDP MLA Rob Altemeyer and Functional Transit Winnipeg chairman Joseph Kornelsen at a morning news conference at the Osborne Street transit corridor station.
The $7 million should be a rotating loan repeatedly provided to Transit as it’s fully repaid, allowing Transit to convert its fleet or provide needed additional buses, Altemeyer said.
The city and the province should consider any innovative approach to improve transit and meet Manitoba’s emission-reduction targets, said Kornelsen, who praised the ATU proposal.
“Finding ways to address the needs of our chronically underfunded transit system are necessary, and the ATU’s recommendations are a sensible solution to this problem,” Kornelsen said, adding he hoped the financing would be used to add more buses to Transit, not simply replace older diesel vehicles.
Additional costs for charging infrastructure could be financed through alternate means, Altemeyer said, citing funding available from Ottawa specifically for environmental projects and funding provided by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for eligible environmental initiatives.
The union will bring a formal plan to city hall to pursue the issue, Chaudhary said, noting Transit’s main bus supplier, Winnipeg-based New Flyer Industries Inc., manufactures electric buses for transit authorities across the country.
Winnipeg Transit’s diesel buses have had major technical issues in the past, and electric buses are more reliable and cost less to operate, Altemeyer said.
Sustainable Development Minister Rochelle Squires said she received the transit union proposal Thursday morning, and was looking forward to reviewing it in greater detail. Bus electrification is a high priority for her department, and she is currently reviewing several proposals, Squires said. She would not provide a timeline for an announcement on any new initiatives other than to say it would come in the near future.
“It’s something that our government views as a key priority for transitioning to a low-carbon future,” she said.
New Flyer is expected to play a key role in any announcement, Squires said.
— with files from Larry Kusch
aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
History
Updated on Thursday, April 19, 2018 5:31 PM CDT: adds comments from Rochelle Squires
Updated on Friday, April 20, 2018 6:30 AM CDT: Final