Funding from the Green Municipal Fund will put 21 electric buses on the road in Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region in eastern Quebec

A rural transit authority in eastern Quebec is seizing the opportunity to lower its emissions by 98 per cent.

The Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region encompasses five regional county municipalities on the Gaspé peninsula in Quebec as well as the Îles-de-la-Madeleine in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is looking to fully electrify its public bus fleet.

Régie intermunicipale de transport Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine (RÉGÎM) runs a fleet of buses over 18 routes. The length of the routes ranges from 15 to 105 kilometres. With $1.75 million from the Green Municipal Fund, RÉGÎM is looking to procure 21 electric buses, including 10 paratransit shuttles. It will also install 12 charging stations across the service area.

The results of a fully electric public transit fleet are up to a 98 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 72 per cent reduction in energy use and a 64 per cent reduction in energy costs.

Green Municipal Fund

The Green Municipal Fund (GMF) is a $1.6-billion program administered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and funded by the federal government.

“GMF exists to enhance the quality of life for people in Canada by accelerating a transformation to resilient, net-zero communities. It does this by providing grants, loans, innovative financing, leveraged investments, capacity building, and strategic support,” reads the program’s website.

RÉGÎM has been attempting to electrify its public transit fleet since 2018. At the time, the project was to cost $7 million.

But RÉGÎM’s fleet is not eligible for the funding offered by Quebec (which covers up to 95 per cent of the costs of electric buses). This is because the region does not own its vehicles. Instead the existing buses are subcontracted out to RÉGÎM by six private companies.

On the GMF website it appears RÉGÎM will be able to fully electrify its fleet. No explanation for the project cost reduction from $7 million to $1.75 million and no timeline for completion has been given.

RÉGÎM did not respond to a request for interview from Electric Autonomy.