The electrification of Canadian urban bus transit: An analysis of Providers' perspectives

This study investigates the perspectives of transit providers regarding the implementation of electric buses in Canadian transit. It is evident that while environmental, operational, and economic features of electric buses are competitive with their diesel counterparts, current market share tells a different story. The electric bus has a very small share in the transit market, which is mainly attributed to its limitation in satisfying day-to-day operational demands. This study aims at understanding the decision making process for fleet management strategy (operation & acquisition) based on the perspectives of service providers to identify key barriers that hinder the adoption of electric buses in Canada. In total, 11 in-depth interviews were conducted across Canada, covering jurisdictions that represent 63.19% of Canadian bus ridership. A grounded theory analytical approach is employed that utilizes participants' perspective/experience to construct a theory. The findings highlight that, at the present time, there is little desire from service providers to implement electric bus technology in a daily full-network operation. This is attributed to the sensitivity of electric buses to the operation context in various respects. The current risk-averse decision-making environment is also highlighted as a reason for not considering the electric bus as an economical and operationally capable powertrain technology. Standardization, technology anxiety, and full network operational feasibility were also identified as roadblocks for the electrification of bus transit. In this respect, the study concludes with the development of a detailed portrait for a feasible utilization of EV technologies in transit to guide future research.