NFI Group Inc. (NFI) announced that the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has awarded New Flyer a new five-year contract for 40-foot battery-electric buses.

The total contract includes a firm order for 186 Xcelsior CHARGE NG heavy-duty transit buses, as well as the option for TTC to purchase up to an additional 435 of the same buses, for a total potential order of 621 buses over the duration of the contract.

NFI Adding More Buses

NFI added 261 buses to the company’s backlog in the first quarter of 2023 based on TTC’s initial base firm and option order.

In total, TTC awarded New Flyer 60% of this initial procurement.

The contract also includes options for other agencies in Ontario to enter into their own agreements with New Flyer for up to 550 buses over four years.

This provides additional future order opportunities for New Flyer, as these buses may be added to NFI’s backlog if an agency executes a contract using those options.

How the Contract Helps TTC

These next-generation battery-electric buses will help TTC meet its goal of converting its entire fleet to zero emissions by 2040, as outlined in the TTC Green Bus Technology Plan.

As part of that plan, TTC previously purchased 25 New Flyer battery-electric buses that were used in a head-to-head pilot project comparing electric vehicles from several manufacturers.

The order builds on a 2022 TTC firm award to NFI for 134 Xcelsior 40-foot hybrid-electric heavy-duty transit buses and 68 Xcelsior 60-foot hybrid-electric buses (136 equivalent units or EUs) for a total of 270 EUs. 

That four-year contract includes options for up to an additional 263 40-foot hybrid-electric buses and 100 60-foot buses, respectively.

“Building on our partnership with TTC spanning over half a century, this new order supports the TTC’s efforts towards net zero goals for a healthier and more sustainable future,” said Chris Stoddart, president of North American Bus and Coach, NFI. “We are proud of the performance from the active in-service trial and are excited to add to the New Flyer fleet at TTC. The ability for TTC to have fleet commonality across New Flyer Xcelsior bus platforms with different propulsion systems speaks to our design and supportability.”

TTC Making Move to Electric

In April, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and Ya’Ara Saks, member of Parliament for York Centre, joined Jennifer McKelvie, Deputy Mayor of the City of Toronto, and Fort Monaco, Chief of Engineering and Infrastructure of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) to announce a joint investment of $700 million towards the electrification of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)’s bus fleet.

This funding will enable the TTC to purchase 340 zero-emission buses and 248 bus chargers.

TTC, along with PowerON Energy Solutions, also unveiled 10 newly commissioned, battery-electric bus (eBus) charging pantographs as part of a proof of concept at Birchmount Garage, expanding the TTC's charging capacity.

The new pantographs will support overhead charging, delivering electricity from a centralized power source to chargers mounted above battery-electric buses. This transit charging system is the first phase of a 20-year agreement between the TTC and PowerON.