St. Albert’s new transit buses will cost about $1.5 million more than expected.
The City of St. Albert has had plans to purchase 19 new transit buses between 2024 and 2026, with the plans beginning back last August.
However, in the last year the cost of these buses has risen, meaning that the city will be paying $1.5 million more for their first order of 10 new buses.
Despite this, council unanimously approved the request to increase the plan’s budget to accommodate this rise in costs. In 2024 alone, $213,500 has been used to buy the first two buses.
As for 2025, the remaining $1.27 million will be taken out of lifecycle reserves, with the city looking for grant funding to offset the costs.
In total the plan is to bring in two 40-foot diesel buses this year, with five 60-foot diesel buses coming in 2025.
The city’s current fleet reaches its end of life in 2026.
