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The My Electric Bus project seeks to raise awareness about electric school buses among the various players in the school transportation sector (drivers and school board managers). Through the development of educational tools and through dialogue and training, the campaign mobilizes the various stakeholders and supports them in the transition to electric school transportation.
Led by Équiterre, the campaign has been made possible with financial support from the Ministère des Transports du Québec and the Trottier Family Foundation, in collaboration with the Fédération des transporteurs par autobus, the Fédération des Centres de services scolaires du Québec and the Fondation québécoise d'éducation en sécurité routière.
Information and training tools for school stakeholders
For a successful transition to electric school transportation, please have a look at our resources, share them with your colleagues and join us for one of our webinars (details below).
Thematic Webinars
- Electrifying your school bus fleet
- Taking the mystery out of charging a school bus fleet
- Virtual tour of Lion Electric’s factory
Information, tools and reports
The following resources outline the benefits of electric school transportation, the technical aspects to be considered in electrifying a school bus fleet and what you, as a school transportation manager, driver or decision maker, can do to encourage it.
- Fact sheet - Costs and depreciation of an electric school bus
- Fact sheet - Range and route planning
- Fact sheet - Charging a school bus
- Fact sheet - Considerations for a smooth transition
- Idea sheet - How to accelerate the electrification of school transportation in Quebec (available in French only)
Educational material for teachers
Materials produced as part of the Mon école branchée campaign, which aimed to raise awareness among elementary and secondary school students about transportation issues, their impact on our environment and living conditions, and the benefits of electrifying transportation. Activities in the schools, including mural creation workshops, were carried out as well as a range of educational tools created with the participation of the Monique Fitz-Back Foundation.
Educational material for primary and secondary schools (French only)
Three good reasons to electrify school transportation
To provide a healthier living environment
Electrifying the school bus fleet provides health and environmental benefits for children and bus users through improved air quality and reduced noise pollution. The exhaust gases from diesel-powered school buses contribute to an increased risk of lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and worsened asthma and allergy symptoms. Electric school buses eliminate these emissions, thereby contributing to the overall health of the population.
To reduce greenhouse gas emissions
A single electric school bus has the potential to save up to 23 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. By electrifying 90% of Quebec's school bus fleet, nearly 2.37 million tonnes of GHG emissions could be avoided over the entire life of the fleet (12 years), which is equal to the GHG emissions produced by 32,000 cars. Electrifying Quebec's school bus fleet will therefore contribute to the fight against climate change.
To generate local economic benefits
Transportation electrification is a concrete way to transition away from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy produced in Quebec. Money spent on importing oil could otherwise be directed back into the Quebec economy. Higher revenues are generated as a result of the increased consumption of our hydroelectricity. In addition, the transportation electrification sector encourages local jobs and businesses (manufacturers of buses, engine components and charging stations, as well as the development of battery recycling technologies).
Expertise in transportation electrification
Équiterre has an expertise in sustainable mobility awareness and mobilization. In the past few years, we have launched three awareness campaigns to bring attention to transportation electrification: Running Electric (2018 and ongoing), Electrifying Encounters (2015-2020), and My Charged up School (2017-2018).
