Quebec & Societe de Transport de Montreal announce the commissioning of 100% electric buses, in the context of city mobility

Effective tomorrow, buses completely powered by electricity will begin serving customers in Montréal. Under the City Mobility project, three buses will go into operation so that the observations of the technology under real operating conditions can continue. These vehicles were acquired by Société de transport de Montréal (STM) under a financial commitment of $11.9 million from the Gouvernement du Québec, coming from the Green Fund. This project arises from the 2015-2020 Transportation Electrification Action Plan.

The Minister of Transport, Sustainable Mobility and Transport Electrification, Mr. Laurent Lessard, the Minister of Sustainable Development, the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, Mr. David Heurtel, the Mayor of Montréal, Mr. Denis Coderre, and the Chair of the Board of Directors of Société de transport de Montréal, Mr. Philippe Schnobb, made the announcement today.

Nova Bus, which designed these buses, a member of the Volvo Group based in Saint-Eustache, will accompany and provide technical support to the STM throughout the evaluation of the project.

“This project is a good example of the synergy we want to deploy to make Québec a hub of transport electrification. City Mobility showcases the creativity, ingenuity and innovation culture of our businesses. In addition, these Québec-designed buses will enable Société de transport de Montréal to implement the first milestones of electrification of its fleet and allow users to recognize the benefits of their electrically-powered trips.”

Laurent Lessard, Minister of Transport, Sustainable Mobility and Transport Electrification

“Thanks to the Green Fund, which mainly derives its income from the carbon market, the Government supports citizens in their transition to a lower-carbon world. In addition to contributing to the modernization and sustainable development of our economy, this concrete measure, which is part of our 2013-2020 Climate Change Action Plan, allows us to fight climate change together to ensure our children’s quality of life. Let’s do it for them!”

David Heurtel, Minister of Sustainable Development, the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change

“Putting the first 100% electric buses into service in the streets of the metropolis is an important milestone to achieve our transition to more electric-powered trips in Montréal. As the first North American city to engage in the City Mobility project, our objective is clear: make Montréal the capital of transport electrification. In addition to offering Montrealers more sustainable mobility, this initiative is a powerful lever to develop a new job-generating industrial pole and is perfectly consistent with our will to make the metropolis a true laboratory of electric mobility, with the establishment of the Institut de l'électrification et des transports intelligents.”

Denis Coderre, Mayor of Montréal

“The STM is proud to be the first North American transit corporation to participate in City Mobility, a program that brings together the expertise of public and private players around a common transport electrification project. We wanted to contribute to the government and municipal efforts for greenhouse gas reduction and transport electrification to improve the quality of life in our communities. In this sense, the STM’s objective is to buy only electric buses starting in 2025, with the best available technology.”

Philippe Schnobb, Chair of the Board of Directors of Société de transport de Montréal

“City Mobility is a program that is already implemented elsewhere in the world, in innovative cities that propose efficient, safe and sustainable solutions. Nova Bus is extremely proud to contribute to this movement to make Montréal the very first North American city to benefit from it. This collaboration with our partners illustrates all the Québec knowhow deployed to serve the metropolis.”

Martin Larose, Vice-President of the Nova Bus Project Management Office

About Société de Transport de Montréal (STM)

Société de transport de Montréal (STM) develops and operates an integrated bus and métro system, as well as paratransit service, for the benefit of its customers. The métro system comprises four lines serving 68 stations, while the bus network covers the island of Montréal, an operating area of 500 km2. STM provided 416.5M passenger rides in 2013, which translates into some 1.3 million rides per day. The company handles over 80% of all public transportation in the Montréal area, representing more than 70% of all public transit use in Québec.