Electric Vehicles

NSW government issues call-out for electric bus trial participants

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The Driven

he NSW government has issued a call for expressions of interest to run trials of all-electric buses, ahead of a planned fleet-wide rollout.

In an announcement made on Monday, Transport for NSW says it is looking for proposals from companies that can conduct electric bus trials and work with bus operators across Sydney to plan for a wider switch.

“We have to meet our environmental challenges head-on and learn from cities around the world. We are committed to taking advantage of new technology that reduces the impact that current diesel buses have on air quality and people’s health,” Transport for NSW deputy secretary Elizabeth Mildwater said.

“We want to eventually transition the entire public transport bus fleet to zero emissions as part of our strategy to make public transport more sustainable into the future.”

Last year, NSW transport minister Andrew Constance announced that the NSW government planned to transition the entirety of the 8,000 strong NSW government controlled bus fleet to all-electric models.

“The experience of other leading European cities demonstrates that a rapid transition to zero-emission buses is possible, and I have asked Transport for NSW to work with operators and bus suppliers to develop a plan to transition our fleet as part of the tender process,” Constance said at the time.

As part of the plan, the NSW government is now looking for participants to trial all-electric, as well as hydrogen-fuelled buses, to begin the process of evaluating alternative models.

The NSW government said that it had transitioned to the next stage of the process, after completing a successful ‘market sounding’ approach last year, which found a high level of interest from bus providers and transport operators.

To read the full version of this story – and view the photo gallery – on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven, click here…


RenewEconomy and its sister sites One Step Off The Grid and The Driven will continue to publish throughout the Covid-19 crisis, posting good news about technology and project development, and holding government, regulators and business to account. But as the conference market evaporates, and some advertisers pull in their budgets, readers can help by making a voluntary donation here to help ensure we can continue to offer the service free of charge and to as wide an audience as possible. Thankyou for your support.

Michael Mazengarb is a climate and energy policy analyst with more than 15 years of professional experience, including as a contributor to Renew Economy. He writes at Tempests and Terawatts.
Michael Mazengarb

Michael Mazengarb is a climate and energy policy analyst with more than 15 years of professional experience, including as a contributor to Renew Economy. He writes at Tempests and Terawatts.

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