Vancouver, British Columbia-based GreenPower Motor Co. Inc. has completed the sale and received payments for two EV550 all-electric double-decker buses for CVS Cruise Victoria.
The buses will be used primarily for the transportation of tourists from the cruise ship terminal at Ogden Point in Victoria, British Columbia. CVS offers tours to cruise ship passengers in its fleet of double-decker buses, and it aims to have only all-electric double-decker buses by 2021, says GreenPower.
To facilitate the purchase, GreenPower worked with a third-party company to create a five-year leasing program specifically designed for CVS. This facility is also available to CVS for future purchases of EV550 all-electric double decker buses or other GreenPower products.
According to GreenPower, Ogden Point’s latest master plan states that minimizing “negative impacts on the neighboring community” is a key objective as part of the development of a “valuable cultural and recreational amenity for the region.” Furthermore, the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA), which oversees the cruise ship operations at Ogden Point and is located on First Nation land, has set a goal of reducing diesel emissions, smell and noise from the buses currently servicing the cruise ships to “build a world-class tourism and visitor experience.”
“GreenPower is proud to be helping CVS in achieving the goals set by the GVHA by providing clean, quiet zero-emission transportation on double-decker buses to tens of thousands of tourists while enhancing the air quality for the port’s neighbors,” says GreenPower’s chairman, Fraser Atkinson. “This is also a significant milestone for GreenPower as we record our first major sale.”