Source: Clarks
Queensland’s Labor government has made a significant downpayment on its commitment to make every new bus in the state zero emissions by 2030, with the roll out of 30 new electric buses and the launch of what it says is Australia’s first 100% electric and renewable powered bus depot.
Transport minister Mark Bailey said on Wednesday that the 30 new buses would hit the road in Cairns, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Logan as part of the Palaszczuk government’s recently released Zero Emissions Vehicle strategy.
Bailey said Kinetic-owned Sunbus would introduce five new buses each on the Sunshine Coast and Cairns from early May and June respectively, while sister company Surfside Buslines would launch 10 new electric buses on the Gold Coast from late June.
Gold Coast bus manufacturer BusTech is continuing the build of another 10 electric buses for Clarks Logan City, which are due to commence services in Logan in June.
“We’ve made a commitment that every new bus in South East Queensland would be zero emission from 2025, so to see it happening now is a fantastic achievement,” Bailey said. “That commitment expands to our regions between 2025 and 2030.”
Clarks Logan City director Reg Clark said he was looking forward to adding the electric buses to the business’ fleet and to seeing the reaction of the community.
“The opportunities this project is providing, not just from a new technology perspective but also the new skill sets we will be embracing, is beyond exciting and will further embed Logan as a community of choice,” Clark said.
“With the locally-acquired Tritium charger installation complete and the buses in build down the road at BusTech, this project really ticks all the boxes from a local supply chain perspective.”
Sixteen new Hornibrook Bus Lines electric buses, as well as two bioethanol-fuelled buses bound for a 12-month trial in Mackay, are also scheduled to arrive on the network later this year, the government said.
The all-electric bus depot, meanwhile, will be based in the Gold Coast suburb of Currumbin, and wil be powered completely by renewable energy including a 56kW solar panel array.
Queensland’s Gold Coast-based environment minister Meaghan Scanlon said the depot would eventually house 14 electric buses, some of which would travel a route from the Gold Coast Airport.
“Queensland is seizing the opportunities to act on climate change, create jobs and set Queensland in a nation-leading position for the future,” said Scanlon.
“I’m sure customers across Queensland will enjoy riding on the new buses knowing that the project is playing an important role in the future of public transport in this state.”
Keyword: Queensland launches Australia’s first all-electric bus depot and 30 new e-buses