Concordia Journal Home > Archives > January 29, 2009 issue >

Travelling between campuses with a smaller carbon footprint 

Shuttle bus driver Linda Tremblay stands in the doorway of one of Concordia's brand new shuttles. On Jan. 12, Facilities Management put two shuttle buses on the road, replacing the current buses (now more than 25 years old). The new 2008 Nova Low-Floor buses are a vast improvement, especially when it comes to their environmental impact.

Fresh off the assembly line from the factory in Saint-Eustache, these models emit one-sixtieth the pollution of the old buses, equal to a reduction of 96% to 98%.

"The environmental improvement played a big part in our decision to update," says Facilities Operations Transportation Supervisor Desmond O'Neill. "These are incredibly efficient vehicles, and that fits in well with Concordia's sustainability effort."

Currently, our four shuttle buses make 16 700 one-way trips a year, transporting nearly one million passengers. With careful scheduling, these two new buses are expected to perform 12 000 (nearly 72%) of these trips, drastically improving the efficiency of the service.

The new buses also have improved accessibility for students and community members with physical disabilities. Using a simple, manual ramp that's essentially foolproof, the buses will make their transportation quick and easy no matter what time of year. The buses are able to kneel to 10.6 inches – a little more than the height of an average stair – to aid in easy boarding. Concordia's signature bumper-to-bumper wrapping will be applied during reading week in February.