Roger D’Hollander, chief operating officer of Damera Bus Sales Canada Corp. explains the e-JEST is purpose built for transit use rather than other styles of minibuses that use a standard chassis with a modified body frame. A diesel version of the e-JEST has been available in the global market for more than a decade, and its electric version was released about four years ago.

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“I describe it as a 40-foot bus in a 20-foot footprint,” said D’Hollander.

“In North America, customers have interest in using it for on demand or microtransit and, obviously, it's not going to replace mainline fixed routes, but it will be a great feeder for those fixed routes.”

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Along with the growing interest in microtransit or on-demand service, the arrival of a new vehicle type to North America comes during a period where supply chain issues, particularly in the small bus market, have been adding to pandemic recovery pressures felt by transit agencies.