Zero Emission Buses (ZEBs) are increasing their presence on the roads around north west NSW with four vehicles now being trialled by Transport for NSW across the region.
During Term 4, a new battery electric bus will join school bus runs around Narrabri and another will be added to Armidale’s existing ZEB fleet.
In Narrabri, students will be able to take a ride on one of the buses, which produce no harmful emissions, as part of a Transport’s $25 million project to run a series of trials of ZEBs across the state’s regions.
A ZEB will be servicing Carinya Christian School, St Marys College, Gunnedah High School and G S Kidd Memorial School.
Transport for NSW Coordinator-General Howard Collins said the trials are testing how these vehicles perform in real-world conditions.
“We’re paving the way for greener, quieter, and more efficient bus travel for the future, not just in cities, but in regional areas as well,” Mr Collins said.
ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia (CDC) Regional Australia Division General Manager NSW, Andrew Fogg said the trial of this 28-passenger capacity bus provides an exciting opportunity to explore how these innovative buses can shape the future of sustainable transport, especially in regional communities.
“Early data from the first few months of the trials shows these buses use less battery power per trip than expected, which has promising implications for their reliability and efficiency in regional areas,” Mr Fogg said.
The bus is supplied by Vehicle Dealers International (VDI).
An additional new zero emission bus has been added to the fleet in Armidale from today.
The region currently has three ZEBs taking commuters and school students to and from 13 Armidale and Uralla primary and high schools.
Edwards Coaches’ Depot Manager James Cross said the company is proud to take part in the trial.
“We are ecstatic to have more ZEBs in our area. We’ve had such great success since the start of the first trial in May and we are really looking forward to getting more feedback during this second phase,” Mr Cross said.
Managing Director of bus supplier Nexport and Go Zero Group, Stephen Cartwright OAM, said he is pleased to see more ZEBs in Armidale.
“Increasing the ZEB fleet is a great step forward. Now even more of Armidale’s community can get to enjoy the cleaner, greener, quieter benefits of electric buses. People will be able to breathe a little easier with these buses in operation,” Mr Cartwright said.
Bus trials are also underway this school term in Deniliquin and Queanbeyan, where three buses in each location are also being put into service to test their performance against the elements and the challenges of real-world operation.
The latest launch means a total of 12 vehicles are being trialled for 18 months, across regional NSW, bringing the transition of the state’s regional bus fleet to zero emissions a step closer.
For more information on the zero-emissions bus trial go to: https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects/current-projects/zero-emission-buses
