The City of Guelph is getting $15.7 million in federal money to help bring more electric buses onto city streets. The funding was announced June 5, 2026, by Dominique O’Rourke, MP for Guelph, and City CAO Tara Baker. The money comes from the Canada Public Transit Fund and will be handed out in steady yearly payments of $1,573,391 over the next 10 years.
The cash will go toward three main things: building new charging hubs for electric buses, giving older diesel buses a refresh to keep them running longer, and buying even more electric buses for the fleet. Mayor Cam Guthrie said this is a win for everyone who rides the bus. “This will improve our transit operations for everyone while maintaining affordability and helping reduce our environmental footprint,” he said.
The new money adds to a bigger push already underway in Guelph. Just last month, on May 29, the city broke ground on a massive new transit and fleet facility near Stone Road East and Watson Parkway South. That 280,000-square-foot building is backed by $77 million from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, with $42 million from the federal government and $35 million from Ontario. Expected to open by 2030, it will be the home base for storing, charging, and fixing electric buses and other city vehicles.
Guelph’s electric buses can go up to 300 kilometres on a single charge and take about three hours to power up. The city runs 26 bus routes, a mobility service for people with disabilities, and an on-demand option, all from its current yard at 170 Watson Road South. The move to electric is a big part of Guelph hitting its climate goals. Under the United Nations’ Race To Zero pledge, the city aims to cut carbon emissions by 63 percent from 2018 levels by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050.
The Canada Public Transit Fund is a huge national pot of about $25 billion over 10 years meant to pay for transit and active transportation projects in communities large and small. For Guelph, this yearly funding means the city can plan ahead with confidence, knowing the dollars will be there each year to keep buses clean and reliable while growing the electric fleet.
