Electric Autonomy looks at which transit agencies are procuring electric buses in 2025 and how the journey to electrification is going

Electric buses are steadily making their way onto Canadian roads, but the pace and enthusiasm at which they do so varies depending on location.

Some municipalities are doubling down on electrification with large-scale fleet rollouts and firm targets, while others are tapping the brakes, reassessing their plans or shifting timelines due to costs, infrastructure needs and operational challenges.

With 2025 now at the halfway mark, Electric Autonomy is taking stock: Who’s leading the charge, who’s holding back and what does your local transit agency have planned for the future of their electric fleet?

Ontario leading the way

Ontario is a national leader in electric transit bus adoption in the first half of 2025.

Several of the province’s large- and mid-sized municipalities are striking procurement agreements to add more battery-electric buses to their fleets soon.

OC Transpo

In Ottawa, the transit bus agency, OC Transpo, placed a new order for 124 Xcelsior CHARGE NG battery-electric buses from Winnipeg-based bus manufacturer, New Flyer, in July.

Delivery for these buses is expected in 2026.

As of mid-2025, Ottawa is using 30 zero-emission buses on its streets.

ABB is OC Transpo’s charging equipment manufacturer and the Energy Management System (EMS) software is currently provided by The Mobility House. All electrical infrastructure is designed, procured and built by Envari Holding Inc, a subsidiary of Hydro Ottawa. 

Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)

Earlier this month, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) said it now runs over 100 battery-electric buses across the city. It plans to grow that number to 400. This would make it the largest electric bus fleet in North America.

PowerOn Energy Solutions, a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation (OPG), handles the engineering, procurement, installation, commissioning,  maintenance and operations of the TTC’s charging infrastructure. The EMS software is by BetterFleet.

Durham Region Transit

In March, Durham Region Transit (DRT) ordered seven additional 40-foot Xcelsior CHARGE NG electric buses from New Flyer. The transit agency currently has six e-buses running out of its Oshawa depot. Those buses were purchased from Quebec-based bus manufacturer, Nova Bus.

Durham Region Transit’s charging infrastructure was installed and is maintained by EnerFORGE, a member of the Oshawa Power Group of Companies.

Barrie Transit

In early July, Barrie Transit rolled out its first two battery-electric buses as part of a 12-month pilot to test how they perform and operate. Each New Flyer bus costs about $1.5 million. After the pilot, the city council will decide whether to expand the program.

PowerOn is the provider and installer of Barrie Transit’s charging equipment. The charger manufacturer is ABB.

York Region Transit

In York Region, the transit agency ordered 80 new fully electric LFSe+ buses from Nova Bus in January. Deliveries will start in 2026.

York Region Transit currently has 14 electric buses. It aims to grow its fleet to 180 by 2028. Charging is done using both pantograph and plug-in systems. York Region secured ABB E-Mobility Inc. and Siemens for charging hardware, and ChargePoint Canada Inc. and INIT Inc. (MobileCharge carmedialab) for software for the electric bus fleet.

Oakville Transit

Finally, in Oakville, the municipal transit authority announced it was adding 15 LFSe+ electric buses from Nova Bus to its fleet in January. These buses started entering operations in February.

These buses joined the 15 e-buses introduced in 2023. Another 44 electric buses are expected by 2027, bringing Oakville Transit’s total electric bus fleet to 74 buses.

The charging infrastructure is provided by PowerON.

British Columbia

British Columbia is continuing to make significant strides toward transit electrification in 2025, with momentum growing in both major urban centres and remote communities.

Translink

In June, TransLink announced it was purchasing 102 new battery-electric buses. This adds to an earlier order of 57 Nova LFSe+ buses, which will arrive and enter service over the next two years. The goal is to grow TransLink’s fleet to 178 electric buses by 2030.

TransLink operates bus service across Metro Vancouver. There are currently 19 electric buses in daily service, supported by 10 overhead chargers. The chargers come from ABB, Siemens, ChargePoint and Clipper Creek. Meanwhile the EMS software is supplied by ABB, Siemens, The Mobility House and ChargePoint.

BC Transit

Also in June, BC Transit announced the first six of 10 battery-electric buses had started service in the Victoria Regional Transit System. The buses, made by Nova Bus and New Flyer, are expected to all be in service by fall 2025. Victoria is set to receive a total of 62 electric buses by 2027.

These buses are part of a broader provincial order of 125 electric buses, which will also be delivered to other regional transit systems by the end of 2026. Communities including Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Nelson, Powell River, the Sunshine Coast and Whistler are set to receive buses and charging infrastructure as part of this rollout.

Once all deliveries are complete, BC Transit expects to have nearly 80 electric buses operating province-wide. ABB was selected through a competitive process to provide both the hardware and software for the charging system.

Further expanding zero-emission transit in other communities, Galiano Island (one of B.C.’s Gulf Islands) announced this month that it will launch its first-ever transit system with two electric minibuses. The buses are expected to begin service by early 2026.

The buses will be supported by two public Level 2 chargers located at the South Galiano Community Hall and the Galiano Conservancy’s Millard Learning Centre.

More steady progress

Elsewhere in Canada, electric bus procurement deals and rollouts are underway.

For Halifax Transit, all 60 of the city’s new battery-electric buses officially entered service in May. Supplied by Nova Bus, the vehicles were part of a $112-million project funded by all three levels of government. The new fleet replaces older diesel models and marks a major milestone toward Halifax Transit’s goal of operating 200 zero-emission buses by 2028.

In Regina, the first seven electric buses started service this summer, said Regina Transit in April. The city plans to expand its electric fleet to 20 by 2026. All buses will come from Nova Bus. PowerON Energy Solutions provided the charging hardware and software for Regina Transit’s fleet of electric buses

Meanwhile, in Quebec, no new deals have been signed this year, but a historic 2023 procurement by the Association du Transport urbain du Québec (ATUQ) is beginning to materialize. A group representing nine transit agencies in Quebec committed to purchasing up to 1,229 electric buses from Nova Bus. Deliveries for the buses started this year.

Currently, there are 73 electric buses operating across Quebec. Transit agencies in Montreal, Laval, Longueuil, Quebec City, Saguenay, Outaouais, Lévis, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières are all set to receive buses as part of the ongoing ATUQ order.

Montreal’s public transit agency uses Siemens charging stations.

Delays, cost, course corrections

While many Canadian cities are moving full speed ahead on bus electrification in 2025, others are hitting speed bumps or pausing altogether.

In Winnipeg, the first of 16 zero-emission buses (ZEBs) from New Flyer was delivered in February. The full order was supposed to arrive by June 20, but three buses are still pending.

City officials point to supply chain and production issues as the cause of the delay. Financial pressures have also led the city to scale back its initial electrification goals. A second order of 24 zero-emission buses is expected for delivery in early 2026.

Winnipeg Transit uses two types of chargers: the SiCharge UC 150kW plug-in and the Heliox Mobile 50kW plug-in.

In Saskatoon, rising costs and feasibility concerns have led the city to scrap electric bus plans for now, following a report questioning the economic viability of e-buses in the region. City officials say they will revisit the idea of bus electrification once the technology becomes more cost-effective.

Meanwhile, Charlottetown in Prince Edward Island, has also opted for a more cautious path. This year, the council paused plans to purchase full-size electric buses. Instead, the transit agency, T3 Transit, will focus on expanding its diesel fleet, while easing into electrification through smaller buses and limited charging infrastructure. Officials say the decision was driven by escalating costs and a need to keep transit expansion on track.

Similarly, in Saint John, N.B., transit officials revised their 2025 fleet plan to include three new diesel buses instead of two electrics, citing an urgent need to replace aging vehicles. One small electric bus is still on order for this year, and officials say full electrification remains a long-term goal.