Mississauga Takes Action on Climate Change with new Hybrid Buses

Today, MiWay announced the introduction of 10 new, next-generation hybrid-electric buses that are convertible to full battery power. These buses are unique in the MiWay fleet and help to advance the City of Mississauga’s commitment to address climate change.

“We know that climate change is real, it’s here and it’s affecting our city,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie.

“Greening our transit fleet is one way that our city is taking meaningful action to reduce our carbon footprint. We will continue to apply a climate lens on everything we do to ensure that we can achieve an 80 per cent reduction in emissions by 2050. We can’t afford not to act. We owe it to the next generation.”

Features of MiWay’s next-generation hybrid buses:

• Start-stop engine technology that shuts down the engine while stopped at bus stops and automatically restarts when the brake is released – achieving up to 25 per cent fuel savings
• All-drive control mechanisms and battery storage systems that are mounted on the roof
• “Plug and play” components, helping to simplify the maintenance process
• Reduced number of drive belts from four to one, reducing the potential of breakdowns on the road and lowering overall maintenance costs

“These new buses are a key step on the road to electrification for the MiWay fleet,” said Geoff Marinoff, Director, Transit. “They are more fuel-efficient and can be converted to run on full battery power, further reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We’ll be evaluating how these buses perform in our system and monitoring further changes in technology to inform future bus purchases.”

The draft Climate Change Action Plan includes a number of actions related to low emissions mobility including:

• Replacing the transit bus fleet with low or zero-emission vehicles
• Assessing charging infrastructure options for future electrification of transit
• Developing a strategy for zero-emissions vehicles

“We’re preparing for the future with the City’s first comprehensive Climate Change Action Plan, which is currently out for public input. It identifies actions to be taken over the next 10 years to decrease greenhouse gases and help the city adapt to a changing climate,” said Jodi Robillos, Director, Parks, Forestry & Environment. “The purchase of these second-generation hybrid buses helps to advance sustainable transportation – an important priority outlined in our Plan.”

Following the public consultation period which will end on October 18, 2019, a final draft Climate Change Action Plan is set to be presented to Mayor and Members of Council by the end of 2019 for approval.

For more information on the draft plan, please visit theclimatechangeproject.ca; for more information on the hybrid-electric buses, visit miway.ca/nextgenhybrid.

Tags

• Climate Change
• MiWay and Transit