Canberra launches its first zero emissions bus

Date: 31/01/2023

The ACT Government continues to invest in zero-emissions bus technology as its first electric bus is on the way in Canberra

The first ACT electric bus will soon be followed by many more

The Australian Capital Territory’s first permanent electric bus has hit the road and Canberrans now have access to the latest convenience and reliability in public transport technology.

“This is an important milestone for our city as we deliver the infrastructure to move our public transport system away from diesel and towards cleaner sources of fuel,” said ACT Transport Minister Chris Steel.

Steel says the ACT Government has been ambitious with its investment program to deliver the technology, with 11 more electric buses due to start operating across Canberra in the coming weeks and procurement to buy another 90.

“This is just the start of our program that will see Canberra eventually move to a completely zero-emissions public transport network powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2040 or earlier,” says Steel.

“This means we are on track to deliver the world-class public transport network Canberrans deserve, with a light rail mass transit system connecting north and south of our city, integrated with zero-emission buses to the suburbs.”

While the ACT Government says it continues to lead the country on climate action, there is still work to be done to deliver a 100 per cent accessible public transport network.

Part of the area’s zero-emission plan for Transport Canberra is to replace its fleet of older buses with the latest technology that is accessible to all people in the community who need these services.

RELATED ARTICLE: TSA backs Melbourne zero-emissions bus trial

Supply chain issues experienced by Scania disrupted the arrival of 26 leased low-emission diesel buses, which were expected to be delivered by the end of 2022.

These leased low-emission diesel buses, combined with the delivery of the new battery-electric buses, were intended to ensure Canberra’s bus services met accessibility requirements in the short term, while the government purchased 90 electric buses.

“The delay in the delivery of the 26 low-emission diesel buses means that a small number of old non-accessible diesel Renault buses cannot be completely phased out of our fleet immediately,” says Steel.

“Diesel buses that are fully compliant with low emissions are now expected to be delivered during the first half of this year, progressively replacing the remaining Renault buses over the first half of this year.

“While a total of 93 per cent of our city’s buses already meet the disability access requirements set out in the Disability Discrimination Act, unfortunately the old orange Renault diesel buses will be used on the bus network for a short period to maintain services. for the community until the replacement buses arrive.

“Canberrans are encouraged to use the journey planner and NXTBUS to identify the type of bus running on that service and whether it meets DDA standards.”

Canberra’s first 12 electric buses are Yutong E12s. Yutong provides charging infrastructure as part of delivering this new technology.

Transport Canberra visited Scania’s Adelaide plant earlier this month to inspect the first of 26 low-emission diesel buses.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to receive the ABC e-newsletter, digital magazine and other offers we choose to share with you straight to your inbox

You can also follow our updates by liking us on Facebook.