$479 million federal funding powers TransLink order of 102 battery buses | Daily Hive

$479 million federal funding powers TransLink order of over 100 battery-electric buses, charging infrastructure

Battery-electric bus. (TransLink)

TransLink is taking a step forward in its long-term transition to a zero-emission fleet with a $479-million investment that will add 102 new battery-electric buses to Metro Vancouver’s public transit system.

This funding has now been approved by the board of directors for Metro Vancouver Regional District, which oversees how TransLink uses the federal government’s Canada Community-Building Fund (CCBF) allocation to the region.

Historically, the CCBF — which first began in 2005 and was previously known as the federal Gas Tax Fund up until 2021 — has been primarily used to help purchase new buses for TransLink, supporting both the replacement of aging vehicles and the expansion of bus network capacity.

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This latest round of funding will enable TransLink to proceed with a procurement to buy more battery-electric buses to replace aging diesel buses, as well as install 64 additional bus chargers and perform other upgrades at Port Coquitlam Transit Centre bus depot, and test the use of a 60-ft articulated trolley bus with in-motion charging capabilities.

Currently, TransLink operates 19 battery-electric buses, which are dedicated to the No. 100 22nd Street Station/Marpole Loop route serving New Westminster, South Burnaby, and South Vancouver — intended to be the system’s first fully battery-electric bus route. This initial fleet is supported by 10 on-route overhead chargers, which can top up buses in under five minutes.

An additional 57 Nova LFSe+ battery-electric buses are already on order. With the planned purchase of 102 more battery-electric buses, TransLink’s electric fleet will grow to 178 vehicles by 2030. For context, TransLink’s overall regional bus fleet currently consists of approximately 1,600 vehicles.

Battery-electric bus. (TransLink)

“We know that part of a healthy, livable region is a strong public transportation system. That’s why municipalities in this region support transportation by pooling our federal funds and prioritizing low-carbon transit solutions to help build a cleaner, more connected future for everyone in Metro Vancouver,” said Mike Hurley, chair of the board of directors for Metro Vancouver Regional District and the mayor of Burnaby, in a statement today.

Brad West, chair of TransLink’s Mayors’ Council and the mayor of Port Coquitlam, added, “Capital investments like this one enable transit to run effectively and efficiently for Metro Vancouver residents. Together with the Mayors’ Council, I look forward to continuing work with the Government of Canada to further expand and improve service in the years to come.”

In July 2024, the federal government announced it would provide $3.5 billion in funding from the CCBF to British Columbia’s local governments over 10 years through 2034, with about 50 per cent or $1.7 billion going toward TransLink. This includes $825 million going to the public transit authority over the first five years.

The CCBF’s previous 10-year agreement ran between 2014 and 2024, which provided B.C. local governments and TransLink with a total of about $2.8 billion in infrastructure funding. A previous agreement between 2006 and 2014 also provided $1.8 billion. According to TransLink, Metro Vancouver municipal governments have voluntarily pooled their share of the federal funding from the CCBF over the decades toward TransLink investments.

Battery-electric bus. (TransLink)

While there are operational cost savings with using battery-electric buses, they carry a far higher upfront cost, with a cost premium not only to buy the vehicles but also to have the required supporting infrastructure, including charging equipment and bus depots that can handle the different maintenance needs.

For these reasons, there have been significant challenges and delays with TransLink’s strategy of transitioning to a battery-electric bus fleet as existing vehicles reach the end of their lifespan, supporting its goal of having a 100 per cent zero-emission bus fleet by 2040.

In late 2024, TransLink estimated it faces a $6.5-billion cost over the coming years to build new bus depots and expand existing ones to support both the transition to a fully battery-electric bus fleet and the overall expansion of bus services.

This includes $3.02 billion for brand-new additional bus depots, including $2.15 billion for land acquisition and construction of a new zero-emission bus depot with charging infrastructure, $720 million for land acquisition and design work for another zero-emission bus depot, and $150 million for additional new bus depot capacity.

Another $3.5 billion comes from the expansion and introduction of battery-electric bus infrastructure for existing bus depots.

There are also further costs of $220 million for the installation of on-route charging infrastructure across Metro Vancouver and $370 million for the expansion of the bus fleet with up to 175 battery-electric buses, which brings such costs to about $7.1 billion.

marpole transit centre vancouver translink electric battery bus

Artistic rendering of the Marpole Transit Centre. (TransLink)

translink marpole transit centre bus depot vancouver december 5 2024

Construction progress on TransLink’s Marpole Transit Centre bus depot in South Vancouver, as of December 5, 2024. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Construction is well underway on TransLink’s very first brand-new bus depot for battery-electric buses. When complete in 2028, the Marpole Transit Centre bus depot — located on the Fraser River waterfront next to the Canada Line bridge in South Vancouver — will have a capacity to handle up to 340 battery-electric buses. The cost of this single project has grown exponentially to $848 million.

TransLink had originally aimed to stop purchasing diesel-powered buses by 2023. However, in May 2025, the transit authority told Daily Hive Urbanized that it is now seeking a manufacturer to supply up to 125 diesel-electric hybrid or diesel buses. This shift is due to the urgent need to replace aging buses in a timely manner and the ongoing work required to expand the supporting infrastructure necessary for a fully battery-electric fleet.

Separately, in March 2025, TransLink announced it chose European bus manufacturer Solaris Bus & Coach to build up to 262 new replacement trolley buses with long-distance, off-wire operation abilities.

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