Take a look at Laval's new fleet of electric buses
The Laval Transport Society (STL) has a new fleet of electric buses on the road.
After using hybrid vehicles for almost a decade, 100 per cent of the city's buses will soon be electric, helping citizens get around Laval safely and cleanly. They say it’s a Quebec first.
“What we have is the first large-range electric buses, with a range of 250 kilometres and it's with overnight charging in the garage,” said STL spokesperson Eric Morasse. “It’s the first large-range model in the province of Quebec."
The overnight charging can be complemented with a quick plug-in point at the terminus when the bus docks in between routes, or when the driver takes a break. Morasse said being eco-responsible is part of the STL's vision for the future.
“For the environment, for the quality of our customers, the new electric buses are quiet and less noisy," he said.
Three electric buses are already en route in Laval and seven more will hit the road soon. Each New Flyer-model bus is manufactured in Manitoba and means a reduction of 70 to 80 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year. The STL says they are also saving money on fuel and maintenance costs with the new fleet in place.
"It's a very smooth drive," said driver Marc Lecavalier, who has been on the road for the STL for 12 years. “It's really fun to drive, a lot smoother and quieter than the old buses. The customers like it a lot.”
Lecavalier explained that the rumble of the diesel motor of the older buses made for more vibrations in the vehicle, something he does not miss at all.
“I don't feel the vibration as much as the old buses.”
All the STL buses can lower to the sidewalk to allow mobility-reduced passengers easier access.
The STL wants everyone to be able to get onboard with their public transit and are offering some of the most vulnerable a free ride. Working with three shelters in Laval, they now offer free, accessible transport to disabled women and their children who are fleeing domestic violence. According to Morasse, the campaign is also the first of its kind in the province.
Justine Gendron of the Laval Adapted Transport Association worked with the STL to make this campaign happen. She said it’s the responsible thing to do.
“It's their mission to make sure that every citizen has the right to take transport, has the right to ride in security and to be safe and so I think it's amazing," she said. "But at the same time, I really think it's the mission of the society of transports all around Quebec to make sure that this kind of service is available for all citizens.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
A teen was found buried in a basement in New York. An engraved ring helped police learn her identity two decades later
For more than two decades, the unknown victim was nicknamed "Midtown Jane Doe" because she was found in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood of New York City. But this week, investigators finally revealed her identity.