The Quebec government has just granted $ 3,150,000 in financial assistance to Autobus Venise Ltée to better support the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield company in the electrification of its school buses.
The announcement of the government financial assistance of $ 3,150,000 for the purchase of 21 electric school vehicles was made in the presence of Michel Daneault, Vice-President Sales and Services for Eastern Canada at Girardin, Manon Blanchard, Director of Autobus Venise in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and Claude Reid, Member of Parliament for Beauharnois and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Transport. (Photo library)
The news was announced by Claude Reid, Member of Parliament for Beauharnois and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Transport, François Bonnardel, on behalf of the latter. These electric buses, acquired at a cost of $ 9 million, will circulate in the coming years on the roads of the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and Beauharnois regions. An agreement between the companies Girardin and Autobus Venise includes the two-step supply of 18 Blue Bird Type C electric school buses capable of carrying 72 passengers as well as 3 Micro Bird Type A electric school minibuses with a capacity of 30 people each. The first deliveries are scheduled before the end of the current school year and a second deployment will take place at the start of the 2022 school year.
These new vehicles will serve students from Commissions scolaires de la Vallée-des-Tisserands, des Trois-Lacs et New Frontiers. “The government’s investment is a tangible example of our vision for a green transition for student transportation”, said MP Claude Reid. “This is a strong commitment to the youth of the region to ensure a better future for them. This approach is also a vehicle for raising awareness among new generations of the advantages of using electric mode of transportation to meet environmental challenges”, added the member for the riding of Beauharnois.
The director of Autobus Venise Ltée, Manon Blanchard, expressed her pride in this transition to electric school buses. “The Government financial assistance makes the electrification of our school buses possible. Just over 20% of our fleet is going electric. These are big changes. Fortunately, we have the government and Girardin to support us at every stage”, said Mrs. Blanchard.
Minister François Bonnardel, for his part, indicated that the electrification of transportation represents a real opportunity for Quebec to contribute to the fight against climate change. “This is why the government is taking concrete action to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to transportation and thus achieve the electrification target of 65% of school buses in Quebec’s fleet by 2030”, says the Minister of Transport.
“The electrification of transport is the avenue to follow in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve the ambitious targets of the 2030 Plan for a Green Economy”, insists Mr. Bonnardel.
