Metro Vancouver diesel buses transitioning to renewable diesel

Photo: TransLink

TransLink announced Dec. 14 it is introducing renewable diesel into its bus fleet in the Vancouver metro region of British Columbia, Canada, as a cleaner fuel option in order to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions.

The Surrey Transit Centre will be the first bus depot to transition and will be fully fueled with renewable diesel by Jan. 1.

With this change, TransLink will be reducing total GHG emissions by 6,550 metric tons, or 5 percent of TransLink’s total emissions—the equivalent of removing 1,900 passenger vehicles off the road.

“The time to take climate action is now,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn.

“By introducing renewable diesel to our bus fleet, we’re doing our part to move away from fossil fuels,” Quinn added.

“Renewable diesel will deliver rapid GHG reductions while we work to electrify our fleet,” he said.

Implementing renewable diesel will help TransLink achieve specific goals outlined in the Climate Action Strategy, including reducing GHGs 45 percent by 2030 (from 2010 levels).

TransLink said it remains committed to moving to a zero-emission fleet by 2040.

Additional transit centers are planned to be converted to renewable diesel beginning next year.

The use of renewable diesel as a fuel source for the West Coast Express and SeaBus is also being studied.

“With an expanding SkyTrain network, and a fleet of 280 trolley-electric and battery-electric buses, TransLink provides a robust network of zero-emissions transportation options for customers,” TransLink stated.

The first all-electric transit center located at Marpole in Vancouver is under construction and will be completed by 2027.

TransLink will deploy a total of 460 battery-electric buses by 2030.

According to TransLink, cars, light trucks and SUVs are responsible for one-third of GHG emissions in Metro Vancouver.

TransLink is responsible for 1 percent of regional emissions.

Diesel vehicles are responsible for 64 percent of TransLink’s total GHG emissions, the company said.

Across the fuel lifecycle, renewable diesel will reduce GHG emissions by 80 percent compared to fossil diesel.