P.E.I. getting 12 electric school buses

Ottawa and the P.E.I. government are jointly funding the purchase of 12 electric school buses that should be on the road for the next school year.

The federal government is investing $2.1 million in the project and the province $2.7 million.

"It is important that we lead by example and continue to put a climate lens on the decisions and investments we make as we look to create a more sustainable and climate resilient Prince Edward Island," said Premier Dennis King in a news release.

"Clean transportation is critical to addressing climate change, and these new electric school buses are a great step forward."

Electric buses replacing diesel

The buses are being supplied by Lion Electric, a Canadian manufacturer of zero-emission vehicles, and the project includes 12 charging stations.

The new buses will replace diesel buses currently in the fleet.

The province has committed to replacing all 300 of its school buses with electric models, though it did not have a timeline.

This year's capital budget included the purchase of one electric bus.

The province regularly purchases new school buses to replace older ones. In 2016, 19 new buses cost the province a little more than $2 million.

The federal contribution to the electric school bus project comes from the green infrastructure stream of the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan.

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