City to buy new buses
City council has awarded a $2.2-million contract for the purchase of four new city transit buses.
City council has awarded a $2.2-million contract for the purchase of four new city transit buses.
At its Dec. 9 meeting, council approved the contract award to Nova Bus, a division of Volvo Canada.
Funding is coming from the federal government.
Council also approved the tentative contract award for two more buses in 2021, though the purchase is subject to funding from either Ottawa or the city.
Delivery of the first four is expected next fall.
The diesel-powered buses are full-length and are needed to replace six buses in the city’s fleet of 13.
Council also approved the contract award of $181,400 to DoubleMap Inc. for the purchase and service of a new electronic payment and tracking system that will provide users with a real-time location of their bus. The current payment system will remain in place.
In a discussion earlier this month, council was told by staff the possibility of switching to electric buses is still five years away, but the city and the Yukon government are currently in discussions regarding the feasibility.
There is the electrical infrastructure to recharge the buses and determining whether electric buses are fit for the North to be taken into consideration, council heard.
Comments (24)
Up 1 Down 1
At home in the Yukon on Dec 27, 2019 at 2:42 pm
Keith T, "Hydro is insufficient to meet baseload 9 1/2 months per year..." Your analysis is correct but totally flawed. To fight climate change, Yukon electric has got to get off its high horse and get on with expanding our green electricity production. The easiest way to push them in that direction is to begin converting to electricity is fast as we can. It has negative consequences in the short run, but once YE generates more green electricity, the benefits will be clear.
Up 2 Down 0
Keith T on Dec 26, 2019 at 12:19 pm
Hydro is insufficient to meet baseload 9 1/2 months per year, so any added load is generated by thermal generators. People that add extra load by driving EV's or using electric heat in a new home are actually contributing more GHG emissions than they realize. It's too bad because if we had more clean hydro or nics we would all go over as much as possible to electric and that would be a good thing.
Up 4 Down 0
Nicky on Dec 24, 2019 at 9:16 pm
In (1967) "The Answer is Clear" diesel buses are the future, the CoW knows best, who are we to question their infinite wisdom? https://youtu.be/-3z4ctf71Xg
Up 3 Down 4
North_of_60 on Dec 24, 2019 at 3:06 pm
@KT appears misinformed.
At the YE webpage [link below] one can clearly see that hydro provides baseload electricity and fuel is used for peak loads when hydro is insufficient to meet demand.
Better management of the Southern Lakes reservoir and a grid tie to surplus hydro in Atlin would significantly reduce the use of fuel powered generation.
https://yukonenergy.ca/energy-in-yukon/electricity-101/current-energy-consumption
Up 9 Down 1
Keith T on Dec 23, 2019 at 5:01 pm
Hi Political, look at the yec web site. You will see that most of the year we are burning ng or diesel as base load. This means that any load added just adds load to fuel generators. Fuel fired power generation is a very poor choice for loads that should be direct powered. If we had lots of excess hydro power of course electric vehicles and heat would make sense, but alas we do not.
Up 15 Down 4
Oya on Dec 23, 2019 at 9:58 am
Will the new buses be allowed to spew that black diesel exhaust the way the current ones do? Why are they allowed to do that? Are there not emission controls in place or other regulations that forbid that kind of pollution? If not, there should be.
Up 20 Down 2
Miles Epanhauser on Dec 22, 2019 at 10:28 pm
Smaller is better and I think cheaper. Shame on the city for being so obtuse.
Up 9 Down 8
Politico on Dec 21, 2019 at 5:53 pm
As usual the pro diesel anti let's not kill the planet people are out with the Alberta disinformation stuff. Yec says they generate 95% of their electricity with hydro over the course of a year. You claim that we only use 5% of the yearly electricity consumption in the winter and the 95% in the summer. Must be all those air conditioners!
Up 31 Down 1
Martin on Dec 20, 2019 at 4:27 pm
I guess we can see here the results of the last municipal election. No wonder property taxes are going up again.
Up 34 Down 0
Obi on Dec 20, 2019 at 3:42 pm
It's not only the climate that is changing...
Everything is changing! People are taking their comedians seriously,
and their politicians as a joke....
Up 7 Down 13
Wilf Carter on Dec 20, 2019 at 3:24 pm
Interesting comments - in Europe they use them in the Cities and have more range than quoted. E buses are not 2.5 times more costly then diesel. China will have 60% of their buses electric within 10 years. Yukon needs to expand its hydro capacity for winter months so green energy can be produced.
Energy banks are combined with small special wind and solar energy.
Alaska, Yukon BC and western provinces need to get together on much more hydro project large and small and export it south. But no one has a real understanding of how hydro can help our environment if done properly like the Whitehorse dam.
I am not expert in any of it but have worked with firms and people with a lot of research, and development knowledge.
Great to see comments because that means people are engaging.
Up 2 Down 21
Anie on Dec 20, 2019 at 3:03 pm
Small buses are not a good idea. They cost almost as much to buy and to run as the current size. What would the city do during rush hours? Run more buses, incurring more capital cost up front, have them sit idle most of the day (where?) and who would drive those rush hour buses?
Up 28 Down 4
Mike Kohler on Dec 19, 2019 at 10:58 pm
Regarding E-Buses. No, they do not work! Not in cold climate and not so much in Europe either. Several cities tried it and found them lacking in range, less than 100km/day, battery dead after 2.5 years at Euro 80,000 a piece. E-buses are two/three times more expensive to purchase than a 'clean' Diesel bus. Source in German: Elektrobusse funktionieren nicht, by Holger Douglas
The infrastructure for charging is massive and expensive. We already have enough power production problems in the Yukon. Anyone thinking we can provide this kind of power without carbon fuels or nuclear energy needs to smack their head.
In the end, if we electrify away from carbon fuels, it will lead us back to nuclear power.
There's nothing clean or green about electric vehicles!
More and more people become aware that without massive taxpayer subsidies these technologies will not be adopted and that the resources for the current battery tech contains metals and minerals mined in countries with a terrible environmental record, mostly through child labour. And then figure in the destruction of our landscape by those who think a modern society can be sustained by wind and solar power.
Up 36 Down 1
b on Dec 19, 2019 at 10:52 pm
So who calls the shots here? Certainly does not look like council. All we see as residents is these large buses driving around empty. They come down our street EMPTY everyday on a scheduled route to pick up one passenger. Someone made a post on here a few weeks ago when the presentation was made to council that running these large buses around with no body on them is ridiculous. They're right!!!! You know where you can shove your climate action declaration.
Up 22 Down 0
Mike Grieco on Dec 19, 2019 at 9:46 pm
Be nice to council - as they are on fast idle and zero miles per gallon. Besides: these new buses are the "fat tire" bike rack model....
Up 29 Down 3
Obi on Dec 19, 2019 at 9:38 pm
City of Whitehorse, take your climate change emergency and shove it!
“I’ll believe there is a climate change emergency,
when the people that say there is a climate change emergency,
start acting like there is a climate change emergency!”
What a bunch of hypocritical bulls...t!
St.Greta, and the Church of Climatology must be having a meltdown.......
Up 24 Down 0
Brent on Dec 19, 2019 at 9:26 pm
Wanton waste.
Up 31 Down 2
drum on Dec 19, 2019 at 6:49 pm
Smaller is better!!!!
The Status of Women in the early 70's started the bus system that the City took over. (I was involved and on the Mini Bus Board Status of Women so I know what I am talking about). We had smaller buses - I have never seen a City Bus have more than half full at any time.. Smaller is better.
Up 25 Down 7
jc on Dec 19, 2019 at 5:10 pm
First City Council announces a "Climate emergency", then orders 4 new diesel buses. How's that for hypocrisy.
Up 26 Down 4
Keith T on Dec 19, 2019 at 4:42 pm
Hey Wilf & Politico, you do realize that adding any electric load to our grid is 100% thermally generated about 9 months a year which actually creates more GH G emissions, not less. Just like if you conserve or reduce load to our grid it reduces emissions. Simple.
Up 21 Down 20
Wilf Carter on Dec 19, 2019 at 4:04 pm
I don't agree on not buying electric buses other cold cities are doing it already and Europe has done it for years. How much did the mayor have in influence this decision? Here we go City declaring climate EMG but going the other way from a climate EMG.
Up 38 Down 3
Tater on Dec 19, 2019 at 2:06 pm
Hey city council, funding is coming from TAXPAYERS. Please quit trying the smoke and mirrors act by saying it comes from the Fed's as though Whitehorse taxpayers are not paying for the buses.
Up 20 Down 23
Politico on Dec 19, 2019 at 1:38 pm
Why not get at least one electric bus to see if they work in Whitehorse? If the city is afraid too spend the money why not at least look at a lease and see if they might work up here? Why is the city too afraid to even look at the possibility of electricity? I guess the zombies have gotten to their brains first!
Up 35 Down 4
David on Dec 19, 2019 at 1:37 pm
$550,000 per bus - those are expensive buses! More expensive than the average house in Whitehorse (and that's saying something!)