Seven of the new EV buses have arrived in the city, and are being progressively rolled out across the BusSmart Urban Services network — replacing the previous diesel-powered fleet.
Invercargill City Council chief executive Michael Day said in a statement the transition marked an important step towards a future-focused, cost-effective public transport network.
"Our contract for the previous bus fleet was coming to an end, and we took the opportunity to thoroughly review how we could best deliver a public transport service for Invercargill into the future," he said.
The total cost of the nine-year contract, which runs until December 2034, was $21.49 million, which included the installation of charging infrastructure at the bus depot, as well as the supply of the buses.
That equated to a cost of about $1.99 per ratepayer, per week over the lifetime of the contract, he said.
"Electric buses provide a modern, reliable and environmentally responsible solution that will meet our city’s needs into the future. The arrival of the EV bus fleet is great news for our neighbourhoods, and represents a real investment in the future of our city."
The new EV fleet offered lower operating costs and significantly reduced emissions, supporting the council’s commitment to improving local air quality and reducing noise pollution throughout Invercargill, Mr Day said.
The EV buses were supplied by Kinetic, one of the world’s leading zero-emission bus operators and the company behind a quarter of London’s iconic red buses.
Kinetic also provides EV buses in Greater Christchurch and across the Otago network, including Mosgiel’s fully electric fleet.
The new Invercargill buses applied only to the BusSmart urban services and did not include school bus operations, he said. — Allied Media
