Halifax has officially launched its 60 new electric transit buses into service, a move the city says will save thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

On Tuesday, politicians, transit workers and municipal staff gathered at the Ragged Lake Transit Centre to mark the end of the first phase of the Halifax Regional Municipality's zero-emission bus project.

The $112-million project, supported by all three levels of government, saw Halifax bring in 60 battery-powered electric vehicles from …