GreenPower Motor Co. Inc. completed the sale and received payments for two EV550 all-electric double-decker buses for CVS Cruise Victoria, which will primarily be used for transportation of tourists from the cruise ship terminal at Ogden Point in Victoria, Canada.

To facilitate the purchase, GreenPower worked with a third-party leasing company to create a five-year leasing program specifically designed for CVS. This facility is also available to CVS for future purchases of EV550 all-electric double decker buses or other GreenPower products.

Ogden Point has established itself as Canada's busiest cruise port of call. Since 2002, cruise visits to Ogden Point have more than doubled and cruise passengers have more than tripled with 227 ships and more than 533,000 passengers visiting between April and November in 2015. CVS offers tours to cruise ship passengers in its fleet of double-decker buses, and it aims to do so using only all-electric double-decker buses by 2021.

The deployment of GreenPower’s zero-emission vehicles has found a welcome home in an area that has made pollution mitigation a top priority. The latest Ogden Point Master Plan states that minimizing “negative impacts on the neighboring community” is a key objective as part of the development of a “valuable cultural and recreational amenity for the region.” The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA), which oversees the cruise ship operations at Ogden Point, has set a goal of reducing the diesel emissions, smell and noise from the buses presently servicing the cruise ships to “build a world-class tourism and visitor experience.”

“GreenPower is proud to be helping CVS in achieving the goals set by the GVHA by providing clean, quiet, zero-emission transportation on double-decker buses to tens of thousands of tourists while enhancing the air quality for the port’s neighbors.” said GreenPower’s Chairman Fraser Atkinson. “This is also a significant milestone for GreenPower as we record our first major sale.”