The TTC Ebus Fleet, how do they compare to each other

By Jamie Kauri

In this article I'll be ranking the Toronto Transit Commission's Ebus Fleet by my personal preference. Let me know what your favorite Ebus is!

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New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE XE40

About

This New Flyer electric bus started service for the TTC on June 3, 2019 on the 35 Jane bus route.

Exterior Looks

This model - one of three that the TTC has - dominates the North American bus market, which makes it more common. But that doesn't mean the buses don't look nice; it only means it's a standard design.

Interior Looks

The New Flyer bus is a very sleek looking bus. It has curves instead of corners, such as on the stop-request buttons and barriers.

Comfort

The noise from these buses is what I would describe as a soft whirring that isn't annoying but is still always there.

Seating and Passenger Experience

Just like the BYD company's buses, this bus has 31 seats, three less than the Prottera's. The seats on the bus are about the same as on the BYD and Nova Bus in feel, but the design is a little different because of the roundness of the seats.

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Proterra Catalyst E2

About

This electric bus made by Proterra went into service on the TTC’s 6 Bay Route on October 26 2019.

Exterior Looks

I wasn't a fan of this bus' appearance at first because of the massive front window and the very curvy shape in photographs, but once I saw it in person, I thought it's really a nice design. The back door on the Proterra is a sliding-plug door, making it the first in the TTC's fleet to have them.

Interior Looks

The interior of this bus has slightly large seats. This bus is also the only TTC Ebus that has a triangular step from the low floor front to the raised section at the back instead of a rectangle on the other two. This Ebus also has circular stop-request buttons and a stop-request sign at the front similar to the one on the older TTC buses. There are also buttons on the back door similar to those on the flexity streetcars.

Comfort

To me, this is the most comfortable bus I've ever been on. It has a very spacious interior design, and the extra thick fabric seats look noticeably more comfortable than regular TTC seats. Compared to the other two buses, this one is quieter overall although it gets a little louder towards the back of the bus.

Seating and Passenger Experience

The number of seats on this bus is the highest out of the three, totaling 34 seats. For the overall passenger experience, I would say this bus is very high on the list. It is wide and has a rear window looking out the back of the bus which is just lovely!

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BYD K9M

About

The TTC put their BYD E buses into service on Sept. 8, 2020 on the 116 Morningside route.

Exterior Looks

I like the up-and-down curves at the top of the bus, but the aesthetic appearance at the front looks busy.

Interior Looks

I'm not a huge fan of the interior colours, especially on the pale red stop-request buttons and their pale yellow housing. The colour combination would look nicer if the housing was the same yellow as the poles. The windows on this bus are extremely small compared to the other buses in the TTC fleet (Nova Buses, Orions, Proterras and New Flyers).

Comfort

The ride on this bus feels the same as on any other regular TTC bus, and the sound the bus makes is definitely noticeable.

Seating and Passenger Experience

The seats on these BYD buses are standard fabric TTC seats. They are not hard and not super soft either. The raised back of the bus has a very low ceiling that is probably less than 6 ft since I'm 5'5 and it was only a couple of inches above my head.

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Some amenities I did not mention are on-board information screens (which the TTC has sadly underutilized) and USB ports. All new hybrid and electric buses have USB ports and screens which is why I didn't mention it earlier.

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Conclusion

The Proterra is the most comfortable electric bus in my opinion. The New Flyer Xcelsior is the most similar to the current Nova Buses on the inside and outside.