City of Winnipeg still waiting on full delivery of electric bus order

The City of Winnipeg is still waiting for some of the electric buses it ordered.

A report to the finance committee said all of the 16 zero-emission buses in the city's initial order should have arrived by June 20.

But as of Monday, the city said it's still waiting for three battery-electric buses to arrive from New Flyer Industries.

Finance chair Jeff Browaty says he's frustrated, because the city made efforts to work with the local company.

"The fact that these buses are made in Winnipeg, it's a shining example of a really great Winnipeg success story," Browaty said. 

"So a little frustrating when we do our best to work with them and we're not getting the buses in a timely way."

The company blames supply chain problems, as well as production issues, for the delay, according to the report.

"Supply chain disruptions, build quality, and compliance issues continue to result in late bus deliveries," Jesse Crowder, the city's manager of asset management, wrote in the report.

In 2022, the city, province and federal government signed an agreement worth $276.6 million to supply Winnipeg Transit with new buses.

Under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, the city committed to buying approximately 100 zero-emission buses, which would equal 15 per cent of the city's fleet by 2027. Longer term, the city set the goal of replacing its entire fleet with zero-emission buses by 2045.

The buses include a mix of fuel cell electric, which charge with hydrogen, and battery electric, which can be plugged into a charger.

In November 2024, the city announced it would scale back its plans, due to rising costs and other demands on city finances.

The first hydrogen fuel cell bus arrived in February.