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British Columbia Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon announced an award of a $46.4 million contract to BC Transit to build the world's first fleet of hydrogen fuel cell buses.

New Flyer Industries of Winnipeg will be the manufacturer of the 20 buses, with delivery by the end of 2009. The low-floor buses will have a range of 500km, a top speed of 90km per hour and a life expectancy of 20 years. The three main sub-contractors on this bus fleet project are ISE Corporation of San Diego, which is responsible for the hybrid drive system; Ballard Power Systems of Burnaby, which will provide the fuel cell modules; and Dynetek Industries of Calgary, which will work on the hydrogen storage system.

Falcon said:
“In the speech from the throne in February, we pledged to reduce British Columbia's greenhouse gas emissions by 33 per cent by 2020.

“These hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles represent an important step, as these buses produce no smog-creating emissions and no greenhouse gas emissions, and they can be twice as efficient as internal combustion engines. The life cycle costs for fuel cell buses are expected to be lower than existing internal combustion engine technology.”

Kevin Mahoney, BC Transit Chairman, said:
“The fuel cell buses will provide the cleanest and most efficient propulsion technology in the long term. This will help BC Transit improve British Columbia's quality of life by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the rider's overall experience.”

In November 2006, the Province dedicated an initial $10 million for development of the hydrogen fuel cell bus concept. The federal Public Transit Capital Trust fund committed $45 million to the fuel cell bus fleet and accompanying hydrogen fuelling stations. BC Transit will cover the remaining $34 million of the overall funding for the day-to-day operations of this new bus fleet for a period of up to five years.

When operational in late 2009, the new fleet will initially be based in Whistler and will be a very visible part of public transportation during the 2010 Winter Olympics.