Windsor to test electric bus

Transit Windsor is testing out an electric bus starting in November in a six-month pilot project.

The city signed a contract with the American electric bus maker Proterra.

"This is one way for us as a city to say that we're a green community," Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said.

"On the other hand, we also have our eye on the ball of the economic development piece, and that is making sure we're positioning this city and this community for any future potential manufacturing facilities that Proterra would be looking at down the road."

Dilkens test rode the bus in South Carolina.

"What you really notice as a passenger is how quiet it is. There's no diesel engine. There's no gas being spewed out. What you really hear is the hum of the heater. You hear the sound of the rubber hitting the pavement as the tires roll," he said.

"Other than that, it's very quiet on board this bus.  You're almost looking around thinking something must be wrong because it's so quiet."

All-electric fleet

Electric buses have been promised before in Windsor. In 2012, then Mayor Eddie Francis said the city would be the first one in Canada to use an all-electirc fleet.

The city planed on ordering 10 electric buses from Chinese bus manufacturer BYD and add at least two of them to its Transit Windsor fleet by the fall of 2012. But that never happened.