Key Takeaways:
- Govt officials packed under a tent to evade the rain and greet the Karsan e-JEST — the 1st electric, low entry, 20-foot transit bus.
Another historic 1st has taken place in the City of Saint John.
Govt officials crammed under a tent to evade the rain and greet the Karsan e-JEST — the 1st electric, low entrance, 20-foot transit bus in North America.
“We are a city of firsts. We’re delighted to have this here; it’s very exciting for us,” yelled Donna Reardon, the Mayor of Saint John.
Created in Turkey, the e-JEST is a European-style mini bus for on-demand and low-volume routes. It’s rigged with a BMW power train delivering an emission-free range of 210 km and also can transport up to 22 passengers at a time.
Saint John Transit riders will have an opportunity to hop on the latest electric bus during a trial-on-demand schedule set to start in September.
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The city intends to lease 6 electric buses from supplier Damera Bus Corp., each at the cost of $4,566 per month on a 12-to-18-month lease, with a chance to buy at the end of the term.
For the time being, the bus unveiled Monday will be utilized for public protests.
According to Ian Fogan, director of Transit and also Fleet at the City of Saint John, actions were made to buy electric buses made in North America, but supply is in high demand.
“This bus plays entirely to some of our urban small street small ridership places, but it also plays well to some of our suburban areas where there may not be a lot of ridership, and also it could be a quiet function, and it’s difficult to get a 40-foot bus down a suburban street,” Fogan stated.
Transitioning to an on-demand system will keep about 20 percent on fuel, told Fogan, who added that electric buses are also predicted to cut about 20 percent off operating costs.
Over the upcoming years, Fogan expects 20-, 30- and 40-foot electric buses to be integrated into the city’s fleet.
By 2040, Saint John aims to take all transit buses solely on electricity.
Its latest fleet member has already been moved out in Europe, as per the Roger D’Hollander, chief operating officer for Damera.
D’Hollander stated there are already 500 E-Jest buses on the streets in nations such as France, Germany as well as Italy. There has also been curiosity from other communities in Canada and the U.S.
“We are expecting having a bus like this in the majority of transit agencies frankly throughout North America. It’s not just a Canadian thing; it’s an American thing as well,” he remarked.
Per the D’Hollander, transit authorities can buy three e-JEST buses for the exact price of a 40-foot bus.
“If they were to replace one of those 40-foot buses, its savings about 80-thousand kgs of CO2 per year by transforming a city bus into this type of an electric bus.”
Source: Global News
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