CUTRIC selected to help Canadian transit agencies plan transition to zero emissions
Infrastructure Canada has selected the Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) to support transit bus operators by producing comprehensive and accurate zero emission transit bus electrification and planning studies.
CUTRIC will work with transit bus operators to complete planning work, bolster readiness to transition to zero-emission transit bus fleets and respond to key challenges of transit electrification. The effort is being funded by the government of Canada with a C$10 million (US$8 million) five-year investment through the Zero Emission Transit Fund.
"Electric and hydrogen technologies are complicated and costly. Transit agencies need the right models to predict how electric and hydrogen buses will work in their communities and what they will cost. This is a critical juncture in Canada’s history on climate action. This program will take transit agencies from ground zero – not knowing where to start – through to full fleet electrification and decarbonization readiness. It will set the country on a pathway towards zero-emission transit systems for the 21st century,” said CUTRIC President and CEO Josipa Petrunić.
Infrastructure Canada says 25 percent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions are produced by the transportation sector with the shift to zero-emission vehicles representing an opportunity to reduce those emissions.
The government of Canada established the Zero Emission Transit Fund in 2021 as part of its C$14.9-billion (US$11.9 billion) investment in public transit. The fund provides C$2.75 billion (US$2.2 billion) during a five-year time frame to help fund planning and capital projects for transit and school bus operators planning to transition their fleets to zero emissions.
“Investments in zero-emission buses help reduce pollution, support Canadian manufacturing and is an important step in meeting our 2050 target. We are proud to partner with CUTRIC to give transit operators the support they need to transition to zero-emission buses and more sustainable technologies,” said Jennifer O’Connell, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, on behalf of the Honorable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
