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Saskatoon Transit Full-Fleet Zero Emission Bus Implementation Plan
Overview
In November 2015, the City of Saskatoon signed an international pact with the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and
Energy. This pact committed the City to act to reduce emissions and build resiliency plans to address the causes and effects of
climate change. In 2017, City Council set greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets, including reducing the City of Saskatoon’s
emissions by 80 per cent below 2014 levels by 2050. The City established municipal and communitywide emissions reduction
targets to support this effort. The City identified 40 actions to meet and exceed these targets in the Low Emissions Community
Plan. Seven of these identified actions for transportation, including electrifying the City’s municipal transit fleet.
As a first step toward electrifying the transit fleet, Saskatoon Transit deployed an electric bus in its fleet as part of a year-long pilot in October 2020. Throughout this pilot, the agency tested the feasibility of zero emissions operations in Saskatoon.
Webinar Recording: Saskatoon Transit Full Fleet Zero Emissions Bus Implementation Plan
This recorded public webinar presented the Saskatoon Transit Full-Fleet Zero-Emission Bus Implementation Plan, following its presentation to Saskatoon City Council in May 2025. Representatives from Saskatoon Transit and the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) detail the modelling approach, key findings, and the implications for long-term fleet planning,
infrastructure investment, and climate commitments.
The presentation provided a detailed look at the report’s key findings, covering the political, technical, social, and environmental factors shaping this critical transition. It also detailed the three proposed fleet transition scenarios: a full Battery Electric Bus (BEB) solution, a full Fuel Cell Electric Bus (FCEB) solution, and a mixed green fleet. The study offers important insights into how this transition would shape future services, as well as technological and operational decisions for Saskatoon Transit.
EXPLORE
Fleet Transition Scenarios
DISEL FLEET
Base Case Scenario
DISEL FLEET
Base Case Scenario
DISEL FLEET
Base Case Scenario
About Saskatoon
As the public transit service for the City of Saskatoon (the City), Saskatoon Transit provides an essential service, including fixed and on-demand transit service, connecting Saskatoon’s more than 308,400 residents. From 2016 to 2021, Saskatoon’s population increased by 7.7 per cent and is projected to continue growing over the next decade.
Before the pandemic, Saskatoon Transit saw unprecedented ridership growth of 8.1 per cent in 2018 and 2.5 per cent in 2019. By 2023, Saskatoon Transit provided 7.4 million rides and over 346,000 hours of service.
In 2020, Saskatoon Transit implemented an on-demand transit (ODT) service to bolster its fixed route network. Initiated as a 12-month pilot, the ODT service extended into 2021 with expanded hours and service.
In parallel, Saskatoon Transit launched a 12-month battery electric bus (BEB) pilot, confirming that a BEB could operate successfully in Saskatoon’s winter conditions. As a result, Saskatoon Transit added two new BEBs to its fleet. This implementation plan builds on those pilots to chart a pathway to a fully zero emission transit fleet.
Saskatoon Transit: Full Fleet Zero Emissions Bus Implementation Plan FAQ (2025)
This document serves as the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) resource for the Saskatoon Transit Full Fleet Zero Emissions Bus Implementation Plan.
It addresses key questions and concerns that have arisen from City Council discussions, the public webinar and direct inquiries from members of the public regarding the study. The information contained here clarifies the study’s scope, methodology, assumptions, and key findings, particularly concerning the long-term feasibility of fleet electrification in Saskatoon’s unique environmental and economic context.
Summary of Findings
Saskatoon Transit plays a critical role in helping the City achieve its carbon emissions reduction goals. To understand the opportunities and challenges posed by transitioning the municipal transit fleet to zero emissions buses (ZEBs), Saskatoon Transit commissioned the Saskatoon Transit Full-fleet Zero Emissions Bus Implementation Plan. . The report views this transition through multiple lenses, including political, technical, social, environmental and economic perspectives. Political perspectives include federal and provincial climate change policies which shape ZEB targets and procurements. This study
also includes an analysis of climate change policies that are shaping the North American bus market that supplies Saskatoon Transit. Technical perspectives include assessing the feasibility of a one to one replacement of diesel buses with contemporary ZEB technologies, such as battery electric buses (BEBs) and hydrogen fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs). This analysis integrates detailed simulation modelling that calculates the feasibility of applying BEBs and FCEBs to Saskatoon Transit’s current transit operations and in its facility. Social perspectives include examining spatially overlapping vulnerabilities in the City of Saskatoon to prioritize routes for electrification wherein application of the cleanest technologies could, or should, go to the poorest or most disadvantaged communities in the city. Environmental perspectives include an assessment of the full emissions of a full fleet
implementation of ZEBs carried out under the scenarios outlined below.
Based on information gathered from the political, technical, social and environmental work carried out for this report, along with Saskatoon Transit’s planned bus purchasing schedule and growth plan, this study proposes three fleet transition scenarios.
Partners
Acknowledgement of Support
This project would not be possible without the financial support of the Government of Canada’s Zero Emissions Transit Fund (ZETF) funding program as well as support from the City of Saskatoon on behalf of Saskatoon Transit.
