Winnipeg will be the first Canadian city with 60-foot battery-electric buses in service
We’re making transit history this summer.
Winnipeg will become the first Canadian city with 60-foot battery-electric buses in its transit fleet. The first bus is hitting roadways in limited service next week. Sixty-foot buses, also known as articulated or “bendy” buses, have the largest capacity of our fleet.
We will put all zero-emission buses (ZEBs) into limited service for their first 30 days of operation. This means they will only be in service on weekdays during the peak morning rush and early afternoon. After 30 days, they will be ready for full-time service.
“This is a major milestone in our transition to a zero-emission fleet,” said Erin Cooke, Program Manager of the Transition to Zero-Emission Bus Program. “We are thrilled to be leading the charge by being the first transit agency in Canada with 60-foot battery-electric buses in our fleet.”
Battery-electric buses vs fuel-cell battery-electric buses
All 16 ZEBs in our initial order with New Flyer have arrived at our Fort Rouge and Brandon Garages. This mixed fleet includes:
- Four 40- and four 60-foot fuel-cell battery-electric buses
- Four 40- and four 60-foot battery-electric buses
Fuel-cell battery-electric buses recharge with hydrogen. They can drive for up to 24 hours. Battery-electric buses recharge by connecting to a charger. They can drive for 10 to 15 hours.
We are looking to learn which of the two technologies is most effective in our climate.
“What we wanted to do was to get all the technologies in one order,” explained Cooke. “We want to test them and really understand the challenges of integrating them. By getting them into service right away, we can start to understand them and see how effective they are in our climate. This will help us determine which type of zero-emission technology to buy going forward.”
Why are articulated buses needed?
Adding 60-foot buses to our fleet – whether diesel or zero-emission – is important.
Articulated buses have 50 percent higher passenger capacity than our 40-foot buses. They help address ridership during peak hours by reducing overcrowding and pass-ups. We operate 60 footers on rapid transit routes as much as possible.
With the recent launch of the Primary Transit Network, we are expecting our ridership to increase over the coming years. Sixty-foot buses will help alleviate that jump in ridership.
What’s next?
Our Transition to Zero-Emission Bus Program is receiving a total of $280.3M in funding. This financial support is through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. In total, we will be purchasing 90 buses thanks to this funding, in addition to charging infrastructure and 85 diesel buses.
We are receiving a second order of ZEBs – 24 in total – early in 2026.
As for our initial fleet of 16 ZEBs, they are all undergoing in- and out-of-service testing throughout the year. We are looking at everything from battery health and energy consumption to operating costs.
All the information we gather will help us determine future steps in electrification.
