New CNG Buses for British Columbia Transit Agency

Kamloops Transit in British Columbia, Canada, has received approval from city council after a successful pilot that showed the alternative fuel buses perform well in all four seasons while creating significant savings in operating costs.

Following the construction of a fast-fill fueling station, 25 CNG buses have been in operation for over a year and another 19 will begin arriving in early 2017 to replace the remaining diesel buses—making Kamloops a transit community powered entirely by CNG.

“The results from the CNG pilot programs in Kamloops and Nanaimo have been a resounding success,” said Todd Stone, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “Not only are these buses a cleaner-burning fuel alternative that benefits our environment and furthers the Province’s action plan to reduce emissions, but they’ve proven to be more cost-effective than their diesel counterparts. This is a win-win investment with positive impacts for the long-term.”

This investment is part of the recently established Public Transit Infrastructure Fund that is providing BC Transit-served communities with almost $160 million in federal and provincial funding for transit improvement projects throughout the province. The City of Kamloops is projecting a savings of approximately $290,000 in operating costs for 2017 as a result of the 19 new CNG buses.

The investments in new buses and enhanced technology represent the first phase of the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund. BC Transit will continue to work with local governments to identify priority projects for the second phase of the federal-provincial funding.