WA Transport Minister Troy Buswell took delivery this week of the first Volvo-Volgren low floor under a new contract deal with Transperth
June 17, 2011
The first bus to be delivered under Western Australia’s bus replacement contract with Volvo was officially handed over to Transperth earlier this week.
Accepting delivery of the prototype, Transport Minister Troy Buswell says it was tangible evidence of the WA Government’s commitment to public transport.
“We expect to take production deliveries of this bus from August, following the expiration of the existing supply contract, which was signed by the previous Liberal-National coalition government in 1999,” Buswell says.
“Under the five-plus-five-year contract we signed late last year, a minimum of 65 buses will be delivered each year, at a total cost of up to $400million.”
Buswell says the contract is now likely to be worth more following allocation of a further $40million for an extra 78 buses in the 2011-12 State Budget.
This also included an increase of almost 30 per cent in bus operational funding service kilometres over the next five years.
Volvo is supplying the bus chassis – changing from the existing supplier Mercedes-Benz – while the bodies will continue to be built at Volgren’s manufacturing facility in Malaga.
“Currently, more than three-quarters of Transperth’s 1,150 bus fleet is low-floor, accessible and air conditioned,” Buswell says.
“This enables a seamless continuation of its program to modernise the fleet with new gas and diesel-powered buses.”
Initially, the contract will supply diesel vehicles, which will maintain the fleet at half diesel and half CNG.
Beyond 2014, Transperth will look at a new CNG bus platform incorporating new engine technology in the Volvo chassis.