Moderator: Bem Case, TTC
Speakers:
- Christos Kritsidimas, Nova Bus
- Jennifer McNeil, New Flyer
At the best of times, the Canadian transit bus market is a small niche market with volatile demand. In the past year, manufacturers have gone bankrupt, left markets, or been acquired by competitors. Electrification and the cost of carrying orders has put an additional strain on OEM’s which add risk for buyers. Truly we are all in this together. The purpose of this session is to provide CEO’s, GM’s and policy makers with an update on the state of the industry, an analysis of how government policies are impacting the industry, and suggestions for ways to work together to strengthen the industry. You will want to bring your legal, procurement and risk management teams with you.
Electrification is no small part of the discussion. In addition to range and charging infrastructure considerations, there are many factors that come into play when integrating battery-electric buses (BEBs) to a fleet. The same could be said for the procurement process: when it comes to electric bus bids, there are several key considerations and differences between ICE and electric bus bids. There is no “one size fits all” solution, with new concepts being experimented such as turnkey project bids, but even with a bus-only procurement, there are many factors to consider that do not necessarily apply to ICE vehicles, or that are very context-specific such as the impact of supply chain challenges. Our OEM partners will share their perspective on key elements to consider when building a call for tenders for battery-electric buses, with the objective of providing food for thought to public transit agencies, stimulating constructive discussions and sharing experiences on these key elements to best support agencies in their transition to electromobility.
