FOG BLOG SAINT JOHN LOG: SAINT JOHN LEASING 20 FT ELECTRIC BUSES, FULL ELECTRIC FLEET BY 2040

North America's first electric bus of its kind key to Saint John Transit's major overhaul North America’s first electric, low entrance, 20-foot transit bus took an inaugural spin around Saint John, N.B., Monday.

The Karsan e-JEST mini-bus will play a key role in Saint John Transit’s incoming on-demand service and jumpstart the city’s goal of having a fully electric public transportation fleet by 2040.

The city is leasing six electric buses for $4,566 a month, per bus, on a 12 to 18-month lease.

Roger D’Hollander of Damera Bus Corp., an Ontario-based bus supplier, says these types of electric mini-buses are already popular in Europe, with about 500 on the road throughout Germany, France, Italy, and Romania.

“We’re anticipating having a bus like this in a majority of transit agencies, frankly across North America,” says D’Hollander, acknowledging it may take time for some municipalities to fully get on board.

“There’s some trepidation, like there is with any change or major transformation that we’re going through. So, they’re waiting to see,” says D’Hollander. “They’re all getting into pilot programs, small numbers of buses initially, understanding how they operate, understanding how they operate in their environment, with their routes and their distances, and so on.”

SAINT JOHN TRANSIT'S ON-DEMAND SERVICE

The Karsan e-JEST buses, which can each fit up to 22 people, will be central to Saint John Transit’s on-demand pilot project starting in September.

The service will rely on smaller buses picking up passengers on low-use routes and will only run stop-to-stop if a customer request is made. About 20 other Canadian municipalities have a similar on-demand service already in place.

The city says requests for the on-demand service will be made by passengers through a web app or by calling a dispatcher.