Saint John Transit returns to diesel to tackle problem of aging buses, for now
Plans for new electric buses had to be changed because of cost, lack of supply, transit authority says
Saint John Transit had plans to bring two electric 40-foot buses to its fleet this year.
But after a recent revision to its capital budget, the city will be opting for three diesel buses instead, in the push to deal with an aging bus fleet.
Saint John has 54 buses, with 36 that will need replacing before 2030. Of those, 23 are the 40-foot buses most commonly seen on roads — all of which are at least 15 years old.
Kevin Loughery, director of Saint John Transit, said these buses are getting close to the end of their useful lives. "So we're trying to flatten out those purchasing procedures — and this year, we're looking at purchasing three buses," he said.
The city is still moving forward with eclectic buses, he said, with plans to buy a 20-foot electric bus this year, and the new diesel buses produce significantly fewer emissions than the aging buses, he noted.
Saint John recently became aware of available diesel bus manufacturing slots that would allow the city to receive the vehicles at an earlier date.
With ridership increasing and an aging rolling stock, the city's decision was to bring new buses into the fleet sooner to maintain a reliable service.
Cost was also a factor. An electric bus would cost approximately $1.6 million each versus $900,000 per diesel bus.
Canada also only has two major bus manufacturers — Nova Bus and New Flyer.
"What that typically does is, because there's only two major manufacturers, it pushes out the timelines of delivery and that's one of the big challenges," Loughery said.
"So even if you have the money to replace, you may not be able to get a bus for multiple years."
Several jurisdictions across Canada are facing similar issues because of a combination of funding challenges and manufacturer timelines.
Moncton's Codiac Transpo has 42 buses and expects roughly 12 of them may be replaced by 2030, and Fredericton anticipates 12 of its 28 buses will need replacing by that year, according to the cities' communications departments.
Marco D'Angelo, the CEO of the Canadian Urban Transit Association, said buses are staying on the road longer than ever before.
"Over the last five years, the average age of buses across Canada has increased from eight years old to nine-and-a-half years," he said.
"That means there are buses that are 15 years or 20 years old that have a million kilometres on them. They're great vehicles, our transit systems are keeping them up to date, but they've got to be replaced and that's where capital funding is so important for transit systems to replace that aging fleet."
Manufacturers wouldn't be able to deliver electric buses until late 2027, as opposed to diesel buses, which would arrive in 2026, he said.
D'Angelo said transit agencies nationwide have been making similar economic decisions from a need that he calls "urgent," as Ottawa's transit agency did last year.
"If there's a decision to be made about the propulsion of a bus or having the delivery of a bus, cities are choosing increasingly sooner rather than later," D'Angelo said.
"Communities are having to look very hard at what can be delivered and how quickly it can be delivered because the need for transit is there, it's more than the vehicles can accommodate — those vehicles need to be replaced today, not in a year or two," he said.
Governments need to invest
Transit agencies in New Brunswick don't receive any funding from the province — something municipalities were calling to change leading up to the recent provincial election.
D'Angelo said higher levels of government need to invest in municipal transit agencies.
"Cities that are the size of Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton, simply relying on the property tax base of the municipality is simply not enough support to expand a transit service that goes across the city with reliability," he said.
"So what do you do? You can't keep increasing fares."
The federal government launched the $3-billion Canada Public Transit Fund last year aimed at capital projects, such as expanding rail lines and aging buses.
Saint John, Moncton and Fredericton all sent in applications but funding from the program won't start until 2026.
Susan Holt ran for premier on a campaign promising fiscal reform. She said this would help municipalities offer better services and that her government would take advantage of federal funding for transit. Full fiscal reform changes won't take effect until 2026.
"So that could assist with our capital and our operating costs, which would be nice," Loughery said.
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