The Municipality of Jasper will hold off on procuring three electric buses and reissue the request for proposal (RFP) in mid-2025.
On Tuesday (Nov. 19), council also decided to open the future procurement process to all zero-emission vehicle options.
“I’d like to go along the lines of what is prescribed in the actual grant funding, and you don’t know what kind of other opportunities are there, particularly if we have to grow into something,” said Coun. Rico Damota, noting Jasper’s transit system could have a blend of different fuel vehicles.
With the help of a $5-million federal grant, the municipality has been pursuing the procurement of electric buses. The budgeted amount for the purchase is $2.25 million with the federal grant covering $1.8 million.
The procurement has faced public pushback, with a petition to stop it receiving over 600 signatures.
An initial RFP was issued in July, but only one proposal had been received by the closing date.
Administration recommended delaying the procurement since the wildfire recovery was putting significant strain on administrative resources. This would also provide more time to explore participating in a joint procurement initiative through the Canadian Urban Transit Association.
The federal government has agreed to extend the project deadline due to Jasper’s unique circumstances. Until then, transit will continue to use contracted buses under the existing three-year service arrangement.
Coun. Wendy Hall wanted to confirm that other zero-emission vehicles could be considered under the grant agreement, noting the municipality would have to pay for the $3.2-million transit fleet facility by itself if it was non-compliant.
CAO Bill Given said he didn’t see the harm in considering all zero-emission vehicle options.
“We did apply for something specific, but if there are new technologies that meet the same intent or different ways of meeting the same intent, that would be fine,” Given said.
He added having a van may be useful should Jasper begin offering on-demand transit service.
Hall said some jurisdictions have had issues integrating electric buses in diesel routes but noted Jasper’s routes were shorter and the infrastructure would be in place to support these vehicles.
“So, I’m really confident around electric buses for this route, but as the system grows, we can potentially be looking at other kinds of buses,” she said.
She added the transition to zero-emission made sense in the context of the Jasper wildfire, which destroyed 30 per cent of structures, displaced 40 per cent of residents and was caused by climate change.
“We need to think about how we move people around in the future, especially if we're going to see huge increases in visitation in the new few years, which I know the province is pushing for,” she said.
