Thirty-seven new electric buses will be on the road in Dunedin from October this year as part of two new contracts awarded by Otago Regional Council to Go Bus Transport, part of Australasian public transport operator Kinetic.
The contracts represent about half the Dunedin bus network and will significantly increase the number of electric buses across the network and introduce specialised, larger buses to operate on Route 1 (Palmerston-Dunedin) trips.
ORC’s Transport Portfolio lead councillor Alan Somerville said in a statement, the outcome of these contracts would deliver a fleet of new and more environmentally friendly buses with greater capacity.
"One of the biggest changes will be the introduction of more electric buses within the first year of the contract," Cr Somerville said.
"This is a major step towards our goal of transitioning to a totally zero-emission fleet in the coming years, which has the added benefit of reducing emissions of harmful pollutants," he said.
ORC Regional Planning and Transport general manager Anita Dawe said the contracts would also deliver additional peak trips on the Peninsula-City Route.
These would be supported by Go Bus’ purpose-built Portsmouth Drive depot, which would be fully electrified to accommodate the expanded zero-emission fleet.
Building on the council’s plan, the local Go Bus team is looking forward to delivering these upgraded services and supporting Dunedin’s transition to a zero-emission fleet.
Go Bus chief operating officer Ben Barlow said the company’s Dunedin team was excited to be rolling out this next phase of electric buses in partnership with ORC.
"Delivering reliable, sustainable, and comfortable public transport for our community is at the heart of everything we do," Mr Barlow said.
"The introduction of these new zero emission vehicles marks an exciting chapter in our partnership with ORC, supporting the continued shift towards cleaner, more attractive travel across Dunedin and the communities we serve."
The new contract will mean 61 out of Dunedin’s 79 buses, or 77%, will be electric.
With the renewal of Dunedin’s final bus contract, all the city’s buses are expected to be electric by 2028. — Allied Media
