The Toronto Transit Commission, the third largest transit agency in North America and the most heavily used system in all of Canada, purchased ten Proterra Catalyst E2 buses in support of the transit agency’s goal to convert its entire fleet of 1,926 buses to zero-emission buses by 2040.

Canada has around 24,000 public transit buses in circulation, and around 2,000 buses turn over each year, making it a prime market for Proterra to serve as more regions including Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Montreal make zero-emission bus fleet commitments. This milestone also marks Proterra’s market entry into Canada.

The TTC is the most heavily-used urban mass transit system in all of Canada, and the third largest in North America, after the New York City Transit Authority and Mexico City Metro. TTC’s bus fleet serves nearly 2,750,000 residents with an average ridership of 253 million per year, and provides critical mass transit links throughout the broader metropolitan area.

A new study from McGill University found that each 10% increase in the kilometers of bus service resulted in an 8.27% increase in ridership. Earlier this year TTC approved a new ridership growth strategy, which aims to move more customers, more reliably, make taking public transit seamless, and innovate for the long term.

In July 2017, the City of Toronto’s TransformTO action plan set a target to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% by 2050. With 10 Catalyst buses, the City of Toronto will displace more than 4,853,091 liters (1.3 million gallons US) of diesel over the vehicles’ lifetime, and eliminate more than 1,039,000 kg of carbon emissions annually, lowering the associated health risks.

In addition to the environmental benefits, the new electric buses also has the potential to save money for the TTC, since they need less energy to operate and require less maintenance. Over their 12-year lifetime, the 10 Proterra buses can result in operational cost savings of more than $5.9 million CAD.

The battery-electric buses will go into service in 2019 and operate out of the Mount Dennis Bus garage, serving routes nearby.