BC Transit Photos and Discussion

[Dane]

More -> www.vancouvertransitadvertising.com/dev/wordpress/

[Blisswood]

1. The double-decker "billboards" - all for local radio stations - are definitely ugly. I've seen 3 over the years (I think 9042, 46 and 47) - couldn't they find something more attractive to put on it? Ad revenue helps keep the fares down...but still!

2. Victoria residents in the mid-1990s will recall New Flyer #8001. The Commonwealth Games promo bus (called the "Klee Wyck" bus), featured cutouts of the orca mascot of the Games on both sides. The special paint job included medium blue paint on the lower half of the coach. I've heard this paint was non-reflective, which did not help its night visibility!
3. Cowichan Valley's 9292 (a Nova inter- or suburban) was in a bad MVA in early 2011. For a while, 922 (a recently-retired Victoria MCI Classic) covered for it. Does anyone know if the Nova was reparable?

4. I've been able to get a few flights over Victoria and we often pass over the transit yards (the main one on Gorge Road and the second one in Langford). I was wondering if any transit companies have ever painted fleet numbers on the roofs of their vehicles.

5. For a while, Victoria put Vs and Ls in front of their fleet numbers denoting whether the bus belonged to Victoria or Langford (for example, say L9035 or V8111), but that seems to have stopped about a year ago. The New Flyers and double-deckers were done, but never the Novas or 35-foot Darts.

[Dane]

A lot of American agencies paint fleet numbers on the roof of vehicles. Numerous agencies in Washington state to be sure, as well in New York state, California, and Chicago. Those are ones I have actually "seen" either digitally or in person. Never really understood it, but there must be a reason. Perhaps dispatching from the yard or something. In California it could have to do with all the car chases LOL.

Just as a note, with a few exceptions, bus paint is never reflective. Rather there is decals that are reflective. I have a feeling this is what the bus was lacking.

[Mike C]

Dec 4, 2011 19:48:21 GMT -8 Dane said:

A lot of American agencies paint fleet numbers on the roof of vehicles. Numerous agencies in Washington state to be sure, as well in New York state, California, and Chicago. Those are ones I have actually "seen" either digitally or in person. Never really understood it, but there must be a reason. Perhaps dispatching from the yard or something. In California it could have to do with all the car chases LOL.

Just as an addition, the only transit vehicles that I know of in Vancouver that have numbers painted on the roof is the 201/202 SkyTrain set (the first Mk II pair to enter service, was also the "Test Train" of the Millennium Line).

[Cable Cassidy]

LADYSMITH JOINS BC TRANSIT

LADYSMITH – The Government of British Columbia, the Town of Ladysmith, the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) and BC Transit are pleased to announce BC Transit services are coming to Ladysmith in the fall of 2013.

Ladysmith joins the Cowichan Valley Regional Transit System. Local transit in Ladysmith will replace the existing trolley service with two 20-passenger community buses and provide 3,000 service hours per year. An additional 1,100 annual service hours will also be included in the expansion to connect Ladysmith with Chemainus and the rest of the Cowichan Valley Regional Transit System.

“The growing community of Ladysmith will certainly benefit from the new transit service,” said Parksville-Qualicum MLA Ron Cantelon. “Starting next fall, families can hop on a bus to get to their destination, connecting them to work, school and recreational activities faster and easier than ever before.”

As Ladysmith moves forward with BC Transit, it will not forget the past or the Town’s Heritage by the Sea motto. The Ladysmith trolley will continue to play a role in community celebrations including the annual Ladysmith Festival of Lights.

“Ladysmith is the largest community in B.C. yet to be serviced by BC Transit,” stated Mayor Rob Hutchins. “This is an opportunity to provide Ladysmith residents with fully accessible vehicles and transit connections to communities south. We look forward to future partnerships with the Nanaimo Regional District to establish inter-regional transit service to the north.”

Ladysmith joins one of BC Transit’s fastest growing transit systems, the Cowichan Valley. Ridership on local transit grew by 13.8 per cent in the Cowichan Valley in 2011/12 compared to the previous year. The Cowichan Valley Commuter to Victoria also saw incredible ridership growth, up 29.2 per cent in 2011/12 compared to 2010/11.

“We are very appreciative of the support from the Province for this initiative, as it will expand the Cowichan Valley Regional Transit Network to the Town of Ladysmith. This expansion further supports the CVRD’s Transit Future Plan vision of connecting people and communities through cost-effective, convenient, safe and accessible transit services”, said CVRD Transit Committee Chair Ian Morrison.

The arrival of BC Transit in Ladysmith comes following a comprehensive public consultation process to develop a 25-year Transit Future Plan for the region. Adding Ladysmith to the regional transit system was a key recommendation of the plan.

“We are pleased to be partnering with Ladysmith to provide BC Transit service to the island community,” said BC Transit President and CEO Manuel Achadinha. “This service will connect Ladysmith residents to their work, friends and other community destinations on BC Transit.”

busonline.ca/news/newsitem.cfm?newsid=1762

[Scott (Former Account)]

Nanaimo will be home to BC Transit's first CNG fleet.

www.transitbc.com/news/newsitem.cfm?newsid=1779

[Cable Cassidy]

Mar 1, 2013 12:25:36 GMT -8 Scott (Former Account) said:

Nanaimo will be home to BC Transit's first CNG fleet.

www.transitbc.com/news/newsitem.cfm?newsid=1779

I had originally thought New Flyer would be a shoe-in for the order but it appears Nova DOES have a CNG model coming out very soon. Apparently Calgary Transit is getting two NovaBus LFS CNGs in May.

BC Transit Victoria is getting 12 2012/2013 NovaBus LFS' which are starting to arrive in the next couple of weeks. I assume that these 12 will be used to replace the 12 remaining 1992 New Flyer D40LFs in Victoria.

[Cable Cassidy]

The production batch of "Vicinitys" are now in North American being prepped for delivery to BC Transit


DSC_4362 by BusShots, on Flickr

There's a total order of 15 of these, and will be spread out throughout the province.

[ferryfanyvr]

Interesting...what length are they? They remind me of the 30-foot Orions that Nanaimo had a few of in the very early 80's...although from this pic it appears they might be a bit shorter?

[Cable Cassidy]

May 19, 2013 21:36:30 GMT -8 ferryfanyvr said:

Interesting...what length are they? They remind me of the 30-foot Orions that Nanaimo had a few of in the very early 80's...although from this pic it appears they might be a bit shorter?

They're 27.5 feet long, and 98 inches wide

www.grandewest.com/specs.html

[Neil]

Gabriola joins Bowen and Saltspring in providing public transit, although at this point it's experimental.

The story:
www2.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/news/story.html?id=fc0ac831-87ee-4e49-859e-b9ab7ffe5969

The web page:
gabriolacommunitybus.com/

[Scott (Former Account)]

Nanaimo's CNG fleet will be New Flyer XN40's!

BC TRANSIT AWARDS NEW FLYER A CONTRACT FOR 50 XCELSIOR 40-FOOT BUSES

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – June 24, 2013: (TSX:NFI; TSX:NFI.DB.U) New Flyer Industries Inc. (“New Flyer” or the “Company”), the leading manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses in Canada and the United States, announced today that BC Transit has awarded New Flyer a contract for 50 Xcelsior™ compressed natural gas (“CNG”) 40-foot heavy-duty buses.

The contract for 50 Xcelsior™ buses contains a firm order of 25 buses with options for an additional 25 buses that may be exercised at a later date. These buses will be added to BC Transit’s approximately 650 heavy duty bus fleet and will operate throughout Nanaimo, BC. Between 1992 and 2009 New Flyer has built and delivered 316 buses to BC Transit.

“Our last project with BC Transit was for Hydrogen Fuel Cell buses in 2009. We’re really excited to once again collaborate with BC Transit on bringing another clean fuel bus fleet to British Columbia,” said Paul Soubry, President and CEO of New Flyer. “Not only is this the first time we will build our Xcelsior™ model for BC Transit, it’s also the first CNG bus we have ever built for them.”

“We look forward to partnering again with New Flyer as BC Transit introduces its first-ever CNG fleet,” said BC Transit President and CEO Manuel Achadinha. “Sustainability is a core value at BC Transit, and the addition of CNG fuelled buses helps further our green fleet efforts.”

"The Regional District of Nanaimo is excited to be receiving the first CNG fleet in BC Transit," said Diane Brennan, Regional District of Nanaimo Transit Select Committee Chair. "CNG New Flyer buses will help play an integral role in achieving our region's environmental and economic goals."

The 25 CNG buses are anticipated to begin production in the fourth quarter of 2013 and all buses are expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2014.

[Blue Bus Fan]

Jun 24, 2013 17:14:33 GMT -8 Scott (Former Account) said:

Nanaimo's CNG fleet will be New Flyer XN40's!

BC TRANSIT AWARDS NEW FLYER A CONTRACT FOR 50 XCELSIOR 40-FOOT BUSES

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – June 24, 2013: (TSX:NFI; TSX:NFI.DB.U) New Flyer Industries Inc. (“New Flyer” or the “Company”), the leading manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses in Canada and the United States, announced today that BC Transit has awarded New Flyer a contract for 50 Xcelsior™ compressed natural gas (“CNG”) 40-foot heavy-duty buses.

The contract for 50 Xcelsior™ buses contains a firm order of 25 buses with options for an additional 25 buses that may be exercised at a later date. These buses will be added to BC Transit’s approximately 650 heavy duty bus fleet and will operate throughout Nanaimo, BC. Between 1992 and 2009 New Flyer has built and delivered 316 buses to BC Transit.

“Our last project with BC Transit was for Hydrogen Fuel Cell buses in 2009. We’re really excited to once again collaborate with BC Transit on bringing another clean fuel bus fleet to British Columbia,” said Paul Soubry, President and CEO of New Flyer. “Not only is this the first time we will build our Xcelsior™ model for BC Transit, it’s also the first CNG bus we have ever built for them.”

“We look forward to partnering again with New Flyer as BC Transit introduces its first-ever CNG fleet,” said BC Transit President and CEO Manuel Achadinha. “Sustainability is a core value at BC Transit, and the addition of CNG fuelled buses helps further our green fleet efforts.”

"The Regional District of Nanaimo is excited to be receiving the first CNG fleet in BC Transit," said Diane Brennan, Regional District of Nanaimo Transit Select Committee Chair. "CNG New Flyer buses will help play an integral role in achieving our region's environmental and economic goals."

The 25 CNG buses are anticipated to begin production in the fourth quarter of 2013 and all buses are expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2014.

That is good to see the Nanaimo is getting 25 addition buses plus another 25 buses if needed. Has BC Transit started to build the CNG Transit base in the Nanaimo?

[Cable Cassidy]

Jun 25, 2013 20:31:14 GMT -8 Blue Bus Fan said:

That is good to see the Nanaimo is getting 25 addition buses plus another 25 buses if needed. Has BC Transit started to build the CNG Transit base in the Nanaimo?

Nanaimo isn't getting 25 additional buses, instead they're getting 25 new buses to replace a large portion of the fleet.

I figure a bunch of Novas and New Flyer LFs will be moved out of Nanaimo and into various small systems. This would allow the remaining 1991-1994 New Flyer D40LFs to be retired.

I'll miss those old New Flyers with the first gen headlight configuration


8008-DSC_7830 by BusShots, on Flickr

[Cable Cassidy]

Translink has recently started to receive some more gas powered community shuttle buses. Here's S1303 leaving Horseshoe Bay on Tuesday night after my island trip


S1303_C12-CWC_9062 by BusShots, on Flickr

Also, here's some photos of transit in Port Alberni, the entire fleet is 1999 30' Dennis Darts. 9907 is one of the few 30' Darts in the province with a rear door, all others only have a front door. These few dual door units were delivered brand new to Whistler and ran there until the 2008 Novas arrived


9007_2-CWC_8918 by BusShots, on Flickr


9937_3-CWC_8937 by BusShots, on Flickr


9007_9942-CWC_8942 by BusShots, on Flickr

Just for fun, here's a photo of 9905 in the original Whistler WAVE scheme. Sadly, this scheme is lone gone


9905 by BusShots, on Flickr

[Blue Bus Fan]

A Chilliwack-Abbotsford-Langley has been approved by FVRD this route will be operated by BC Transit. The route operates six days a week (Monday to Saturday) at 60- 90 minutes peak periods and of 90-120 minutes off peak. I think it should be more like: Langley to Abbotsford (both direction) 15-20 minutes peak and 30 minutes off peak Monday to Friday: Saturday and Sunday 45 minutes all day. Chilliwack-Abbotsford-Langley (both direction) 30-40 minutes peak and 60 minutes off peak Monday to Friday; Saturday and Sunday 90 minutes all day. 

[Cable Cassidy]

I find it interesting that they note new vehicles will need to be acquired. The route should only need a few coaches and BC Transit isn't THAT tight for buses (especially with the 25 XN40s coming next Spring).

Unless they want to get a hold of more suburban vehicles, which would make sense given the route.

[Mike C]

Discussion and photos for BC Transit services.

[Cable Cassidy]

Sept 26, 2013 15:01:49 GMT -8 Blue Bus Fan said:

A Chilliwack-Abbotsford-Langley has been approved by FVRD this route will be operated by BC Transit. The route operates six days a week (Monday to Saturday) at 60- 90 minutes peak periods and of 90-120 minutes off peak. I think it should be more like: Langley to Abbotsford (both direction) 15-20 minutes peak and 30 minutes off peak Monday to Friday: Saturday and Sunday 45 minutes all day. Chilliwack-Abbotsford-Langley (both direction) 30-40 minutes peak and 60 minutes off peak Monday to Friday; Saturday and Sunday 90 minutes all day. 

Looks like this route has hit a roadblock with Abbotsford city council

Proposed Valley bus stalls at Abbotsford council
BC Transit service would link Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Langley

FRASER VALLEY (NEWS1130) – It looks like a much hoped-for bus service that would link Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Langley won’t be leaving the station anytime soon.

The proposal was voted down by Abbotsford council yesterday. Three councillors were missing, which meant it only took three “no” votes to sink the motion.

The result was a 3-3 tie, with a tie, which meant the motion was defeated.

Abbotsford Mayor Bruce Banman thinks council could have approved it, since the proposal included a future opportunity to vote once the plans and costs were finalized.

“That’s why I’m kind of scratching my head,” he admits.

“We had an escape clause. Let’s see the better numbers then let’s decide and have that discussion once we have all the really good data. But, you know, council made the decision that council made.”

Banman plans to use his mayor’s executive privilege to bring the Valley bus motion back on a day when more councillors are present.

Councillor Henry Braun cast one of the dissenting votes. While he’s not against the BC Transit service, he does have a couple of reservations.

“One is we don’t know the full cost… council hasn’t received it. And secondly, I think Langley should be part of this because it’s going to Langley. So, for those reasons, I just want to look after the interests of the taxpayers in Abbotsford, which is my duty.”

Chilliwack and the Fraser Valley Regional District had previously approved it.

FVRD Chief Administration Officer Paul Gipps will take these results back to the district board and go from there.

www.news1130.com/2013/10/22/proposed-valley-bus-stalls-at-abbotsford-council/

In other BC Transit news, the "Vicinities" have started service around the province. Dawson Creek, Penticton, Nelson, Quesnel, and Harrison/Agassiz are the cities that have signed on for these buses. I plan on visiting Harrison this weekend to grab some photos and a ride.

Victoria, will NOT be getting any Vicinities this time around, this was the big issue that caused the strike last year.

[Blue Bus Fan]

Oct 30, 2013 8:03:31 GMT -8 Cable Cassidy said:

Sept 26, 2013 15:01:49 GMT -8 Blue Bus Fan said:

A Chilliwack-Abbotsford-Langley has been approved by FVRD this route will be operated by BC Transit. The route operates six days a week (Monday to Saturday) at 60- 90 minutes peak periods and of 90-120 minutes off peak. I think it should be more like: Langley to Abbotsford (both direction) 15-20 minutes peak and 30 minutes off peak Monday to Friday: Saturday and Sunday 45 minutes all day. Chilliwack-Abbotsford-Langley (both direction) 30-40 minutes peak and 60 minutes off peak Monday to Friday; Saturday and Sunday 90 minutes all day. 

Looks like this route has hit a roadblock with Abbotsford city council

Proposed Valley bus stalls at Abbotsford council
BC Transit service would link Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Langley

FRASER VALLEY (NEWS1130) – It looks like a much hoped-for bus service that would link Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Langley won’t be leaving the station anytime soon.

The proposal was voted down by Abbotsford council yesterday. Three councillors were missing, which meant it only took three “no” votes to sink the motion.

The result was a 3-3 tie, with a tie, which meant the motion was defeated.

Abbotsford Mayor Bruce Banman thinks council could have approved it, since the proposal included a future opportunity to vote once the plans and costs were finalized.

“That’s why I’m kind of scratching my head,” he admits.

“We had an escape clause. Let’s see the better numbers then let’s decide and have that discussion once we have all the really good data. But, you know, council made the decision that council made.”

Banman plans to use his mayor’s executive privilege to bring the Valley bus motion back on a day when more councillors are present.

Councillor Henry Braun cast one of the dissenting votes. While he’s not against the BC Transit service, he does have a couple of reservations.

“One is we don’t know the full cost… council hasn’t received it. And secondly, I think Langley should be part of this because it’s going to Langley. So, for those reasons, I just want to look after the interests of the taxpayers in Abbotsford, which is my duty.”

Chilliwack and the Fraser Valley Regional District had previously approved it.

FVRD Chief Administration Officer Paul Gipps will take these results back to the district board and go from there.

www.news1130.com/2013/10/22/proposed-valley-bus-stalls-at-abbotsford-council/

I think Taxpayers would want the route because they do not have to wait and connect to the 502. I hope it comes back to plan because it seems like a good route. 

[Cable Cassidy]

The BC Transit Vicinity buses (or Yaxings) have been entering service across the province for the past few weeks. I finally had the chance to visit Chilliwack this past weekend for a nice two hour cruise into Harrison Hot Springs and back. Overall, it's much better than the demo that ran around, but I worry about the build quality down the road as these age.


CWC_5616 by BusShots, on Flickr

[Cable Cassidy]

As we get closer and closer to the end of the hydrogen fuel cell bus trial in Whistler, it's looking pretty bleak for the fleet.

www.vancouversun.com/technology/Whistler+hydrogen+fuel+cell+program+jeopardy/9212028/story.html

Whistler’s hydrogen fuel cell bus program in jeopardy
High costs, lack of local infrastructure could doom grand scheme
By Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun November 25, 2013

The future of the Whistler’s hydrogen fuel cell buses — the largest fleet in the world — is in doubt after BC Transit said it cannot afford to continue to run and maintain the fleet when the $89-million demonstration program wraps up next spring.

Information obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request by the Canadian Autoworkers’ Union 333 suggests Whistler’s 20 hydrogen fuel cell buses cost three times more for maintenance and fuel costs than the conventional Nova diesel buses they replaced in 2009.

BC Transit deployed the hydrogen bus fleet in 2009 as part of a grand scheme by Gordon Campbell’s Liberals to showcase fuel cell technology during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and have a “hydrogen highway” stretching from Whistler to California.

That didn’t happen and hydrogen is now trucked from Quebec every 10 days, instead of from a hoped-for fuelling station in B.C. Much-hyped plans for growth in the fuel cell market, which would have pushed down the costs for infrastructure and parts, also didn’t materialize, which means BC Transit is paying a higher price for maintenance and labour for hydrogen buses compared with the diesel buses.

The buses — which cost $2.1 million each, about four times the price of a diesel bus — are powered by hydrogen fuel cells provided by Burnaby’s Ballard Power Systems. They produce no greenhouse gas emissions and can be twice as energy-efficient as conventional buses. Eight hydrogen tanks hold in total about 60 kilograms of hydrogen, on which the bus should be able to travel 500 kilometres.

But a midterm evaluation included in the FOI information suggests the average fuel range is below the amount specified in the contract and is worse during the winter months, when water in the fuel cells can freeze and prevent the buses from starting or running efficiently. It notes hydrogen fuel costs, at an average $2.28/km, are three times the cost of diesel, while maintenance costs $1 per kilometre, compared with 65 cents/km for diesel buses.

“It is expensive to maintain and expensive to fuel,” BC Transit spokeswoman Meribeth Burton said.

The hydrogen fleet has been integrated into the regular operations of Whistler’s transit system, accounting for two-thirds of all buses in the resort municipality. Whistler and BC Transit, which is responsible for transit systems outside Metro Vancouver, share the fleet’s operating costs. The province pays another $1.8 million annually to cover the incremental costs of the hydrogen fuel cell project over the five years.

The resort municipality pays about 46 per cent of the fleet operating costs through property taxes and fares, which cost $2.50 per passenger ride.

Burton noted that while her organization had “anticipated surprises” when the program started, it isn’t sure what is going to happen next March, especially if the province decides it will no longer contribute the additional $1.8 million. If that happens, she said, the hydrogen buses could be sold and replaced with diesel or other alternatives because the hydrogen costs are too much for BC Transit and Whistler to bear.

“Without the annual support for the incremental costs, it would not be feasible,” Burton said. “We will not be able to assume those costs. It will be up to the province to decide what we do next.”

Burton maintains BC Transit was excited about the scope and size of the project, which has recorded three million passenger trips since it started. But while many parts of the system were successful, she said, others fell short.

“On many levels it has been a success story,” she said. “We’ve learned a lot about the technology and it was an opportunity to do something really unique in the market. We’ll have to see what the future holds.”

Ben Williams, president of CAW 333 in Victoria, maintains the hydrogen buses should be scrapped and the money used to provide transit in other areas of the province, such as Victoria. It added it doesn’t make sense to haul fuel from Quebec when the idea is to run the buses to reduce carbon and greenhouse gas emissions.

“I wasn’t surprised to be seeing this unbelievable cost when they’re actually trucking the hydrogen from Quebec,” Williams said. “As it stands now it’s not viable … even though it’s in Whistler, it affects riders in Victoria. Money is so tight when it comes to transit systems in the first place.”

Whistler municipal officials declined to comment, referring any questions to BC Transit.

Burton expects a decision will be made soon on whether to keep the buses after next spring, noting it will take time to order new buses, if that’s the route the province wants to take.

B.C. Transportation Minister Todd Stone was not available for an interview Monday, but ministry spokesman Robert Adam said in an email that more information should be available in a couple of weeks.

“We are working with BC Transit and industry partners and reviewing the demonstration pilot,” he wrote.

TransLink, which runs Metro Vancouver’s transit system, does not have any hydrogen buses, according to spokeswoman Jiana Ling.

[Blue Bus Fan]

Newest addition to Victoria Regional Transit the only system to be operated by BC Transit itself.

I am posting because we do not have any picture of these new conventional buses.







The double decker numbered 9529-9531 are ex-OC Transpo, Ottawa-Carleton Regional Transit Commission.     

[Cable Cassidy]

It's official, the H40LFR fleet demonstration is over in Whistler at the end of March. The buses will be removed from service in March and then converted to diesel electric, before being send elsewhere in the province.

www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler/diesel-buses-to-replace-hydrogen-fleet-in-march/Content?oid=2539870

Diesel buses to replace hydrogen fleet in March
Hydrogen stack will be dismantled; buses could be converted to diesel-electric
by Alison Taylor

The $89.5 million hydrogen bus experiment in Whistler is officially over; diesel buses are coming back.

In three months, the world's largest fleet of hydrogen buses will be moved out of town and the large white hydrogen stack at the transit facility, the world's largest hydrogen fuelling station, will be dismantled.

It's the end of a five-year hydrogen project designed to showcase fuel cell technology in the media spotlight of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, with Whistler as the northernmost stop on the so-called "hydrogen highway" stretching from San Diego up the west coast.

That "hydrogen highway", a chain of fuelling stations along coast for hydrogen powered cars, never panned out as planned and Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden confirmed Monday that BC Transit officials have given Whistler notice it will not be renewing its contract with the 20-hydrogen bus fleet when the pilot project ends in March. Clean diesel Nova buses will replace the existing fleet.

"It was an interesting experiment," said the mayor. "It didn't come at any direct additional cost to Whistler residents and taxpayers."

The decision comes as no surprise, given the high cost to maintain the buses — fuel is $2.28 per kilometre, three times the cost of diesel, and is trucked in from a production plant in Quebec. Maintenance is $1 per/km, compared with 65 cents/km for diesel buses.

"BC Transit will decide the most cost-effective way to reuse the hydrogen fuel cell fleet, including the potential to convert the buses to diesel-electric hybrids," according to an email from the Ministry of Transportation.

The Burnaby-based creators of the fuel cell technology, Ballard Power Systems, had hoped to see the fleet live on and made the case to government to that end.

"We put together a proposal for the government to run them for another five years," said Paul Cass, vice president of operations.

"Unfortunately the economics don't work out and the government is under a lot of financial constraints right now. We're satisfied with the way the project has ended up... We would have liked to have seen it go further but we understand the situation."

When asked if she thought it was a worthwhile project, Wilhelm-Morden said: "I wasn't really involved with it except just these last couple of years, so I don't really have a lot to comment on about it."

From a personal perspective, however, she said it was nice to see water dripping from the tailpipe as opposed to exhaust fumes, and she liked that fact that the buses were relatively quiet.

Former Councillor Eckhard Zeidler, who was on council when the project began, paused to consider when asked if this was a worthwhile project.

"From Whistler's perspective I think it was a worthwhile endeavour to find that hydrogen powered buses are not ready for prime-time, particularly not in the cold climate of Whistler," said Zeidler, alluding to the issues of using the buses in the hilly and chilly Whistler terrain. "And the project also proved clearly that hydrogen is not a financially viable fuel source at this stage. That's something we were aware of going into the project and that was part of the reason why there was a set date for the end of the trial."

The total cost of $89.5 million was shared by the federal and provincial governments, the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association and the municipality. Whistler's $16.8 million, however, was the cost the municipality would have paid for a diesel fuel fleet over the five years.

Critique of the program was swift on Facebook with one person calling it "part of the greenwash program for the Olympics" and another calling the highway and fleet "a classic case of the wool being pulled over our eyes."

Still, in a letter to Ballard Power Systems, which provided the fuel cells for the buses, Minister Todd Stone, of transportation and infrastructure, called the project an "innovation success story."

The key goals of the project, Stone added, were to evaluate hydrogen buses in daily use, encourage hydrogen technology jobs in B.C., showcase B.C. as a leader in clean energy and contribute to the province's climate action goals.

"The project has accomplished everything it set out to do," said Stone.

"Our experience with this fleet is even more extraordinary when we consider that these were new technology buses, commissioned in a very low volume, twenty-bus fleet. While this small fleet size meant that capital and operating costs were higher, I understand that it has provided a vital step toward commercialization, generating international business opportunities for this 'made in B.C.' technology."

According to its status report of the Whistler project, Ballard expects to power 40 buses in Europe by the end of next year, and 25 more in 2015. It also recently announced a licensing agreement in support of a planned fuel cell bus program for the China market — the largest bus market in the world.

Even with the transportation of hydrogen from Quebec, the Whistler fleet reduced emissions by roughly 65 per cent on a "well-to-wheels" basis, compared to diesel buses.

The report states: "The Whistler experience has supported continuing progress on several important fronts. In addition to the significant reduction in capital cost of fuel cell buses over the past five years, the public profile generated by the Whistler fleet has helped engender a positive perspective among progressive transit agencies in other parts of the world."

One of my all time favourite photos, taken on the very first service date of H40LFR's in Whistler

1000_tamarisk_A by BusShots, on Flickr

[Cable Cassidy]

The 2013 New Flyer XN40 "Xcelsiors" are starting to arrive. 1020 now has been decalled up and could be on the road very soon!


1020_CWC_2233 by BusShots, on Flickr