Powering into trial of e-bus

Among the people trying Go Bus Dunedin’s new electric bus yesterday are (clockwise, from front) Otago Regional councillor Alexa Forbes, Go Bus chief operating officer Nigel Piper and Global Bus Ventures executive vice-president Mike Parker.

The New Zealand-manufactured GBV Enviroline 35-seater e-bus joined the Orbus Dunedin fleet yesterday, for a month-long trial on selected routes, including the No 8 (St Clair to Normanby), No 44 (St Kilda to Halfway Bush), No 55 (St Kilda to Brockville) and the No 77 (Mosgiel to City) routes.

The trial aims to see how the vehicle handles the different hills, routes and the motorway in Dunedin, and how charging times would need to be factored into route planning.

It will take Orbus a step closer to reducing Otago’s transport emissions and reaching the Government’s policy of replacing fossil-fuelled buses by 2035.