While customers are charging to their PRESTO cards, Oakville Transit is charging something else: 15 new, electric buses.
Oakville Transit has added 15 new battery-electric buses to its service, a move aligned with the town’s ongoing efforts to modernize public transportation and reduce environmental impact.
The 40-foot Nova LFSE buses, designated for conventional fixed routes, were officially unveiled at a special event on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, at the Oakville Transit Facility.
According to the Town of Oakville, these new buses will begin service this winter.
Oakville Transit Director Adrian Kawun highlighted at the event that transit ridership has been increasing and is expected to continue growing, especially with Oakville’s fare-free policy for children, youth (ages 0-19), and seniors (65+).
Member of Parliament for Oakville North-Burlington, Pam Damoff, also spoke, pointing out that Oakville Transit offers free transfers for riders connecting to and from GO train services, helping to make public transit more accessible to a wider range of residents.
The new electric buses, which can travel up to 350 kilometres per charge, were funded through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream (PTIS) of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP). The Town of Oakville covered 30 per cent of the cost, said Mayor Rob Burton during the event.
Oakville first introduced electric buses in February 2023, with 15 smaller-capacity, battery-electric buses used for its On-Demand service. With the ICIP funding, the town aims to transition 50 per cent of its fleet—74 out of 135 buses—to electric power by 2026. The Town of Oakville says its goal is to add 12 more small-capacity buses and 32 large capacity electric buses in the next two years.
However, the long-term shift to electric buses for Oakville Transit remains uncertain. Town councillors recently voted to purchase diesel buses once ICIP funding expires, citing rising costs. A report from Kawun outlined that replacing the remaining diesel fleet with battery-electric buses would cost taxpayers an estimated $963 million over the next 25 years, compared to $500 million for diesel replacements. Additionally, long-term contracts to lease and operate charging infrastructure are expected to cost $108.5 million over 20 years.
Read more here: Pulling the plug: Oakville Transit to buy diesel after electric bus grant money runs out
Despite these financial challenges, Mayor Burton expressed optimism about the town’s future efforts to transition its transit system to electric power. “We are ready to go the rest of the way as soon as our partners in Ottawa are ready to complete the journey with us,” he said, signaling the town’s need for continued federal support.
On June 24, 2019 the Town of Oakville declared a climate emergency and aimed to speed up sustainability-oriented policies to combat climate change, which included local transit. The Town aims to hit a corporate goal of net zero GHG emissions by 2050.