Electric buses at Ventura’s Ivanhoe bus depot. Photo: Ventura.
The first all-electric bus depot in Victoria has been officially opened at Ventura’s Ivanhoe bus depot at Heidelberg West in Melbourne’s northeast.
The electric depot was opened by Minister for Public and Active Public Transport Gabrielle Williams and Minister for Climate Action Lily D’Ambrosio yesterday (5 February). It has been converted to accommodate 27 electric buses which are capable of transporting 10,000 passengers per week.
The new buses and depot upgrade are part of the Victorian Government’s $20 million Zero Emissions Bus (ZEB) Trial. Routes covered by the buses will cover the areas of La Trobe University, Preston Market, Gowrie Station and Northland Shopping Centre.
The upgrades at the depot included the removal of diesel bus facilities, the installation of a new transformer on site and upgrading the grid connection to support 14 dual-gun Tritium fast chargers.
The work was performed by Zenobe, with the first phase of 14 chargers going live in February 2023.
Ventura is the largest bus operator in Victoria and is one of six operators across the state taking part in the three-year ZEB trial which will see 52 zero emissions buses (50 electric and two hydrogen) operated in Melbourne, Traralgon and Seymour.
The trial is designed to inform the transition of about 4500 diesel buses in the state’s public fleet to zero emissions. From 2025, all new buses purchased for Victoria’s public transport routes will be zero emissions as the state moves to achieve net zero emissions by 2045.
Minister Williams said, “We’re proud to be delivering Victoria’s first all-electric bus depot – providing passengers with a smoother and quieter bus ride, and helping the state meet its commitment of net zero emissions by 2045.”
Minister D’Ambrosio added, “Our transport sector is a significant contributor to our emissions and the rollout of zero emissions busses will be critical to achieving our world-leading target of net zero emissions by 2045.
