The STM calls for tenders to acquire mid-size electric buses

Press release

Montréal, September 7, 2011   In the next few days, the Société de transport de Montréal will go ahead with an international call for tenders to acquire seven mid-size electric buses, known as midibuses. With a maximum length of nine metres and the capacity to transport some thirty passengers, the new electric drive vehicles will also be equipped with instruments to assess their reliability and performance in terms of service operations and customer satisfaction.

“This is a major step toward procuring all-electric mid-size buses, as they should begin passenger service in Montréal by the end of 2012. As indicated in the STM’s 2020 Strategic Plan, the main goal of this project is to provide our customers with eco-friendly, sustainable transit services in the Old Montréal / Old Port district using mid-size electric buses, thereby replacing the diesel buses currently serving the area by zero-emission vehicles running more silently. Our initiative will help protect the neighbourhood’s historical and heritage assets, visited by Montréal citizens and tourists alike,” declared Michel Labrecque, STM board chairman.

“We welcome the STM initiative, as it falls in line with the orientations outlined in our transportation plan. Under Initiative # 6, we promote zero-emission mobility. This call for tenders confirms we are determined to become a leader in the area of electric transportation in North America,” declared Michel Bissonnet, Montréal executive committee member responsible for transportation issues.

“Procuring electric vehicles will allow the STM to acquire greater knowledge about electrifying its surface transportation, assess customer appreciation for the technology and better plan its transition to a fleet of all-electric buses. Indeed, as of 2025, the STM intends to procure zero-emission buses only, as they present several advantages in terms of sustainable development, such as significantly reducing GHG emissions and other airborne contaminants, using a renewable energy source, hydroelectricity, and improving energy efficiency,” concluded the chairman.

The STM reminds the public that in 2008-2009, it carried out an urban transportation showcase project with eight hybrid drive buses, which demonstrated that biodiesel-electric hybrid technology produced fuel savings of 30% on average, and therefore less GHG emissions. As a result, the STM Board of directors agreed to procure hybrid buses as of 2013.

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