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CUSTOM DENNING SECURES KEY NSW STA E-BUS DEAL

FOLLOWING a successful trial by the State Transit Authority (STA), local Australian-owned bus manufacturer Custom Denning has landed a 10 zero-emission bus order - with deliveries starting November, 2021, Transport for NSW (TfNSW) confirms.

Custom Denning’s 10 electric bus order will run until March, 2022 – with deliveries to Sydney’s Waverley bus depot – after its e-bus was added to the NSW government’s Procurement Panel 3, for purchasing by the state’s public bus operators.

Last March, NSW Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance and Member for Vaucluse Gabrielle Upton launched the trial of the first NSW-built electric bus at the Waverley depot.

According to TfNSW, multiple operators have now placed orders for this model, which is designed, manufactured and assembled by Custom Denning in St Marys, in Western Sydney.

Member for Vaucluse Gabrielle Upton said:  “It’s exciting to know that in just a matter of months my community will be catching brand new electric buses from suburbs like Bondi and Vaucluse into the city.”

“This order of 10 electric buses take us closer to an emissions-free future while also supporting hundreds of local jobs in Western Sydney, where these buses are built.

“Our Government is getting closer to securing a cleaner, healthier future for the people of NSW and an electric bus fleet will be a big part of reaching net zero emissions,” member Upton explained.

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PASSENGER FANS

The Element e-bus can run for approximately 16 hours on a full charge, or 450 kilometres, TfNSW explains.

As a sign of the emerging times, a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) station to power gas buses at Waverley Depot was decommissioned earlier this year to accommodate a sub-station and charging infrastructure, it adds.

Ultimately, this work forms part of the NSW Government’s strategy to transition the state’s fleet of more than 8,000 diesel and gas buses to zero-emission technology by 2030.

Waverley bus operator James Wallace commented: “It was a great joy to drive, to be quite honest. The electric motor and braking system mean you just coast nicely into a stop. I was using the brakes significantly less than I do on other types of buses.”

“Customers often commented on the smoothness of the ride and how quiet it was in comparison to the roar of a diesel engine.

“The passengers I had along for a ride during the trial were very happy with it; sometimes we even had ‘bus groupies’ chasing us down the street!” Wallace explained.

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Photography: courtesy TfNSW

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