Queensland is en route to doubling its e-bus fleet
The Australian state of Queensland is ramping up the electric bus rollout. The latest plans by the state government will see the number of electric buses double this year as the fleet is to receive another 40 vehicles.
These will join 25 existing electric buses currently serving en routes in Queensland. Transport and main roads minister Mark Bailey announced this week that transit companies would progressively launch 40 battery-electric buses throughout the year in Moreton Bay, Brisbane, Redland Bay, and on the Sunshine Coast.
“We are getting on with the job of rolling out more sustainable buses in Queensland to meet our zero-emissions targets,” Mr Bailey said. Queensland is en route to doubling its e-bus fleet.
For the present rollout, four operators have come on board. Keolis Downer will launch 16 electric buses on Hornibrook Bus Lines’ network covering Moreton Bay, with a new all-electric bus depot being built in North Lakes.
Transdev is already phasing in 17 electric buses in Brisbane, while Kinetic will roll out six new buses over the next few months on the Sunshine Coast. Lastly, two electric buses will begin operating on the Spring Hill Loop.
The announcement did not mention the make and type of buses. However, the minister said the Queensland government was looking to build more zero-emissions buses locally.
We reported in autumn 2021 that one of the local suppliers was BusTech. The company is part of a strategic agreement worth $15.6 million with Keolis Downer and BusTech to deliver 16 electric buses made in Queensland. These are now arriving as expected.
Queensland operates on a target to ensure that by 2025 every new urban bus added to the fleet in Southeast Queensland will be zero-emissions, which will be followed by the rest of the urban fleet across the state by 2030.
This aligns with other electric transportation initiatives in Australia, notably New South Wales, which reportedly fast-forwarded the state’s bus fleet’s transition to electric by 2030. NSW has also opted for BusTech to deliver the vehicles and wants to buy 120 electric buses in 2021 and ultimately plans to convert all 8,000 buses in its fleet by 2030.
In today’s news, Bailey said the reaction from the industry to build more electric buses in Queensland has been very strong.
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