Category: Protecting our Planet

BC Transit has a plan to achieve a fully electric fleet by 2040. Each step towards electrifying our fleet has been taken with extra care to make sure that we are helping keep our planet clean! So, hop aboard the electrifying journey as we explore the amazing world of electric buses.

How do we choose which buses to buy or which batteries to use?

When we are choosing which buses and batteries to buy, we ask the companies where they get their batteries from. We want to make sure they are eco-friendly and treat people nicely, too!

How long does it take to charge an electric bus?

Just like humans need to sleep every night, our electric buses will need time to recharge their batteries. At the depot, we will plug in the electric buses and let the batteries charge overnight. This takes about 6 hours. When the electric buses are fully charged, they can drive for 350km to 500km depending on the weather and the bus. 500km is a long way, so its important that buses get a full night’s charge – just like you need a full night’s sleep!

What happens to the batteries when we’re done with them?

We expect these batteries will be used in our buses for 7 to 12 whole years! Once a battery is no longer used for a bus, it might get a brand new job. Some companies are adding their older vehicle batteries to their power grid, which helps power other important machines, like the bus wash! Once a battery has been all used up, the battery will be recycled. There are a lot of valuable materials in a battery. Companies have developed new ways to recycle over 95% of the battery materials, so they can turn them into batteries again. Pretty cool, right?

By transforming our fleet into fully electric buses, we’re riding cleaner and greener. We’re making sure that every step of the journey, from production to recycling, has our planet in mind.

Every day, thousands of people in BC ride the bus to all sorts of places!  

As awesome transit riders, we need to make sure that we’re thinking of others when we share this space and that we do our part to keep it clean.  

Make Your Bus Ride Sweet by Keeping it Neat!

To keep buses safe and clean, drinks on board must be kept in a sturdy container to prevent spills.  If you’re thirsty on the bus, go ahead and have a sip (it makes for a happy trip!), but make sure you have a lid! This helps make sure that the seats are clean for all riders. When you leave, please take your drink container with you.  

It Takes All of Us to Keep Our Buses Clean

Just like parks, playgrounds, and beaches, buses are shared spaces too. They’re a space where we all ride together to get to where we need to go.  

Imagine stepping onto the bus and finding the seats are wet and dirty, the floors are sticky and there’s trash everywhere – yuck! Nobody likes a dirty bus.  

If we keep our buses clean and tidy, they can keep driving us to where we need to go without any cleaning delays.  

So, let’s be kind and tidy up after ourselves on the bus. Remember – whatever you bring on the bus, take it off with you. And be sure to remind your friends, and even adults too!  

Here’s what some smart kids have to say about having garbage on the bus.  

If we all work together to keep our buses clean, we will use less water, soap and energy. This helps the planet AND the community!  

Who knew that making such a small effort could make such a BIG difference? 

Let’s all do our part to be the best bus cleanup crew! 

What is Traffic?  

Traffic means there are lots of vehicles on the road. This can make the road busy, causing cars to slow down or even stop.  

How do we stop traffic?  

When more people drive cars, it means there is more traffic on the roads. We can reduce traffic by taking the bus, biking, walking, and leaving cars at home.  

Why do we want less traffic?  

Many cars run on gas or diesel which are fossil fuels. Once fossil fuels are removed from the Earth, they cannot be replaced.  When cars use fossil fuels, they create stinky and dirty smoke. This is called air pollution and it harms the planet.  

When there are many cars on the road, traffic moves slowly which means people are in cars longer, creating more air pollution. Less traffic means less pollution from vehicles, like cars. 

How do buses help?  

More buses on the road means less cars. Buses can hold a lot more passengers than cars can, and each bus saves the environment about 10 570 litres of fuel per year.  

BC Transit has over 1100 buses in our fleet. On average, 40 passengers can travel on one bus. This means a single bus can take 40 cars off the road! 

What can you do to help traffic?  

No one likes to be stuck in a traffic jam. But, you can help! When you choose to walk, bike or ride the bus, you are helping cars stay off the road which keeps traffic moving smoothly. Without traffic jams, there is less air pollution – so you are helping the environment, too!