The Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate is progressing on its plan to transition to a zero-emission bus fleet.
The Directorate said its Zero-Emission Transition Plan for Transport Canberra set out the plan and associated steps needed to reach the goal and it invited Canberrans to make themselves informed about the next steps of the project.
Minister for Transport and City Services, Chris Steel said there had been strong interest in the zero-emission bus transition and the Directorate received over 100 registrations from a wide range of industry sectors as part of pre-procurement market sounding.
“The procurement of new battery electric buses has attracted wide interest and gives us confidence of getting the right solution to successfully transition our fleet to zero emissions,” Mr Steel said.
“Industry briefings will include information about our requirements not only to procure the first 90 battery electric buses, but also the associated charging infrastructure and essential training packages required to upskill our workforce to the new technology,” he said.
“Key to this transition and our city’s economic recovery is the delivery of a comprehensive skills and training package for our workforce including bus drivers, transport managers and diesel mechanics.”
Mr Steel said Canberrans could now access the Directorate’s Industry Project Brief on the first 90 battery electric buses, along with its Transition Plan.
“We expect that the buses will help to reduce the fleet’s emissions by over 20 per cent, or around 7,000 tonnes of CO2 a year,” the Minister said.
He said the formal procurement process would commence in the third quarter of this year, with the final buses to be delivered no later than 2024.
The Directorate’s 23-page Zero-Emission Transition Plan for Transport Canberra can be accessed at this PS News link and its 15-page Industry Project Brief at this link.
