Quebec reauthorizes purchase of conventional buses
By Bryan Laprise
Local Journalism Initiative
The Bus Carriers Federation handed the Quebec government a bill totalling $12,024,000 June 11 for 137 bus carriers in the province with electric buses which run at a loss.
The Bus Carriers Federation represents three-quarters of private carriers, mainly for school buses. Its president, Luc Lafrance, said that “[they] are not against the electrification of school buses, but to force all carriers to solely purchase electric buses was perhaps done too quickly.”
In 2021, the government ruled that bus carriers could only purchase electric vehicles when renewing their fleet.
Lafrance maintains that for the government’s electrification goal to be achieved, carriers need financial support for the purchase and maintenance of these vehicles.
According to the Federation (FTA), governmental support for electric buses decreased from $12,900 to $5,000 per route. A press release states that an electric bus costs $14,000 more to operate than one that runs on fuel such as diesel. The FTA is asking the government to pay the $9,000 difference for some 1,336 electric buses owned by member carriers.
In the Eastern Townships region alone, 96 buses from member carriers, represent a $864,000 loss.
Pierre Tourville is the president of Autobus B. Dion, which operates five schoolbus carriers. It has around 100 buses in its fleet including six electric, running routes for the Centre de services scolaire des Sommets, Centre de services scolaire de Sherbrooke. It also has a small contract with the Eastern Townships School Board for three minivans in remote sectors.
“[We] require more spare vehicles than in the past. Last fall, I had six electric buses, but I didn’t stop using any conventional buses. So I need more vehicles to do the same amount of work,” said Tourville during an interview.
Additional costs for running electric buses include longer delays for maintenance and repairs, delays for electric equipment such as charging stations and more expensive parts.
He told The Record that one of his electric buses got into a minor accident in early February and repairs are yet to be completed due to missing parts, while a diesel counterpart would have been fixed the same week.
In most cases, when an electric bus needs to get repairs, it is necessary to call the manufacturer, Lion Electric for technological support, which can entail longer delays as well.
When it comes to the equipment and infrastructure needed to charge the buses, the government covers an initial 75 per cent, according to Tourville, and the other 25 per cent is passed on to the carrier.
“That electric equipment, there’s maintenance that comes with it. I have colleagues that have charging stations similar to mine, and after 12, 16 or 24 months, they needed to be changed, so it’s not guaranteed. It’s not a ten-year investment,” he said.
Without adequate governmental support, electric vehicles aren’t worth it. The president claimed that they cost more than they bring in.
“In light of the information I have today, I won’t buy any more electric buses. With the subsidies we have, it’s not profitable. I’m not going to make more purchases knowing that there are shortfalls,” Tourville added.
Lafrance added that some carriers, who were unable to make the investment or didn’t have sufficient knowledge on the technology preferred to tough it out with their fuel buses.
Transitioning to electric vehicles also requires a different way of thinking, such as planning routes with lower autonomy, planning ahead for the building of charging stations. Some bus drivers, whose rural routes are far from the carrier’s centres may keep their bus at home, which is likely impossible with electric counterparts that require powerful charging equipment.
According to Tourville, diesel buses have a capacity of around 900 kilometres, while electric versions range between 150 and 200 kilometres. Their vehicles cover between 100 and 200 kilometres per day.
“It’s decent, but in some situations, it’s not enough. If we want to avoid charging between the morning and the afternoon, it’s something we have to think about.” he said.
In general, while they have few problems during the winter, there are still more than during the summer. Tourville also revealed that to maintain decent autonomy during colder months, the electric buses’ heating systems run on diesel.
Changes to legislation
Previously, buses were changed every eight to 10 years. But now, the government will allow carriers to use buses for 14 years, and will reauthorize the purchase of fuel vehicles amid an expected shortfall of buses for the coming fall, which would leave many students without transportation after the announcement on June 11.
“This rule change takes into account the current challenges related to the autonomy and availability of electric buses and minibuses, and to prevent service breaks for school transport,” the Ministère des Transports et de la mobilité durable said in a statement sent by e-mail.
While carriers will be able to renew their fleets after the instability in the electric market with Lion Electric’s financial problems, conventional buses have increased in price.
“We’re talking about a 60 per cent increase in recent years, so the carrier’s revenues will not be able to pay these prices,” Lafrance said.
He added that without extending the lifetime of buses to 14 years, there would have been 1,300 buses that could not be used at the start of the 2025-26 school year in Quebec.
The FTA is asking the government to renew its incentives and support for the purchase of electric vehicles to make it attainable for carriers to add them to their fleets.
Lafrance mentioned that many of the school bus carriers in Quebec are family-owned and now in “the second or third generation.”
They request that the government not only reimburse the $9,000 shortfall on buses for this year, but amp up the funding for the next years, as well.