Free rides on new battery-electric mini-bus undergoing testing by TransLink for two weeks

Over the coming weeks, an unfamiliar-looking bus with a duck-beak-shaped front will be seen roaming the streets of Metro Vancouver, operating on TransLink bus routes.

And all passengers will be able to ride on it for free.

The public transit authority is testing a next-generation battery-electric bus that is smaller in size and capacity than what it uses for its existing conventional fleet.

Moreover, this vehicle by Quebec-based manufacturer Letenda is a battery-electric bus.

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TransLink’s conventional fleet is currently composed of 40 ft., two-door buses, 60 ft., three-door articulated buses, and double-decker buses.

The Letenda Electrip vehicle being tested by TransLink is a 30 ft., two-door bus with a capacity for up to 44 passengers, including 22 seated passengers and the remaining standing. This puts the Electrip’s capacity somewhere between the existing 40 ft., two-door buses and the small single-door, van-like community shuttle mini-buses, which only fit about 20 to 24 seated passengers with zero standing capacity.

Letenda Electrip battery-electric bus. (Letenda)

Letenda Electrip battery-electric bus. (TransLink)

According to TransLink’s The Buzzer, this new-generation bus will operate on different bus routes across Metro Vancouver for two weeks, starting on Friday, March 21, 2025, with the bus displaying the route number and destination just like other buses. All rides on this bus will be free (Compass Card readers will not be installed), but passengers will be encouraged to take a survey. As this will be an extra bus in addition to regular scheduled services, it will not be trackable in real time on apps.

The Letenda Electrip’s battery has a range of about 250 km, and it features rear-axle steering, which makes it more maneuverable than typical buses, with shorter turning radiuses and easier maneuverability into bus stops, according to the public transit authority.

It is also strategically designed for Canada’s harsh winters, featuring heated floors to melt and dry slick surfaces caused by passengers tracking in snow, as well as heated windshields for improved visibility.

Letenda Electrip battery-electric bus. (Letenda)

Letenda Electrip battery-electric bus. (Letenda)

Letenda was founded in 2016, and the 30. ft Electrip battery-electric bus is the company’s first and only model of vehicle, which received Transport Canada’s regulatory and safety certifications in 2022.

The first order of the company’s buses was made in 2023 by the Vermont Agency of Transportation, which ordered four vehicles. In 2024, public transit operators in Montreal tested the use of the bus.

The results of this demonstration bus trial could help determine whether TransLink should adopt this model for future fleet renewal and expansion. It also aligns with TransLink’s long-term strategy to transition its fossil fuel-powered buses to battery-electric models, although this transition also necessitates multibillion-dollar investments in new and upgraded bus depots to handle both battery-electric fleets and achieve service expansion.

Perhaps it could even serve as a higher-capacity replacement model for the low-capacity community shuttle mini-buses, which are roughly 20 ft. in length, depending on the model. Currently, TransLink uses roughly 200 community shuttle mini-buses.

Letenda Electrip battery-electric bus. (Letenda)

Letenda Electrip battery-electric bus. (Letenda)

Whether it’s the Letenda Electrip or the current community shuttle models, these mini-buses can be more suitable for bus routes with lower ridership demand. However, the use of larger 30-foot mini-buses is already common among public transit authorities such as BC Transit in select communities and various operators in Washington state.

As of January 2025, TransLink has received its previous order of 15 new 40. ft, two-door battery-electric buses from Quebec-based manufacturer Nova Bus. All 15 of these buses will be used on the No. 100 Marpole/22nd Street Station bus route along Marine Drive/Marine Way between Vancouver and New Westminster, establishing TransLink’s first bus route completely operated by battery-electric vehicles; as of early this year, nine of these buses were already in service, and the remaining six were being prepared for operations.

Earlier this month, TransLink announced it would order 262 next-generation electric trolley buses — featuring off-wire capabilities for up to 21 km — from European manufacturer Solaris Bus & Coach, completely replacing the aging fleet. The first new trolley bus will arrive in 2026 for extensive real-world field testing.

Also, this past weekend, the very first next-generation, five-car-long Mark V train began hitting the tracks of SkyTrain’s Expo and Millennium lines for extensive real-world field testing ahead of this train entering service later in Spring 2025. A total of 47 five-car-long Mark V trains will completely replace the old Mark I trains and boost capacity with new and improved passenger amenities and comfort.

TransLink’s low-floor community shuttle buses. (TransLink)

BC Transit’s new 30-ft Grande West Vicinity buses. (Jen Arbo/submitted)

You might also like:
• European firm to build 262 new trolley buses for TransLink, with new-generation ability to go off-wire for 20 km
• First new generation SkyTrain begins real-world field testing on Expo and Millennium lines
• Inside the first fully completed new generation SkyTrain in Metro Vancouver
• Artist studios among 11 proposals submitted to TransLink to repurpose old SkyTrain cars
• Cost to build TransLink's first new battery bus depot in Vancouver grows to $848 million