Roam transit, Parks Canada sign five-year $12.9 million deal, new electric buses to be purchased

Source: Greg Colgan | · RMO TODAY · | March 22, 2022

“We’re very excited about this agreement. The emissions are significantly lower on electric buses, maintenance costs and need for maintenance is lower as well."

Source: A $12.9 million five-year agreement between the Bow Valley Regional Transit Service Commission and Parks Canada will help purchase electric buses as part of the overall goal to reduce car use and road emissions. PHOTO COURTESY OF ROAM TRANSIT

BANFF – A $12.9 million five-year agreement between the Bow Valley Regional Transit Service Commission and Parks Canada will help purchase electric buses as part of the overall goal to reduce car use and road emissions.

The agreement, which was announced Tuesday (March 22), will see an additional three electric buses purchased for routes in the summer of 2023. The three buses will eventually join an already prominent electric fleet.

“We’re very excited about this agreement. The emissions are significantly lower on electric buses; maintenance costs and need for maintenance is lower as well,” said Martin Bean, the chief administrative officer of Roam transit.

Bean said by the summer of 2023, almost 30 per cent of its fleet will be electric – 10 of 32 buses – giving the commission one of the larger electric fleets by percentage in the entire country.

“We’re seeing good reliability from our electric buses and lots of positive comments from the community and visitors,” he said.

“We’re well ahead of a lot of agencies and having a percentage of our fleet be electric in such a short timeframe."

The money will be spread out over the length of the contract to allow the new electric buses to be purchased and to help with operation costs.