New research says one Australian state is leading the charge in supporting the decarbonisation of bus fleets
A new research report says Australians are highly positive about taking locally made electric buses as part of daily commutes, particularly in the state of Victoria.
The report published by The Australia Institute titled Next Stop: Zero Emission Buses by 2030 says Victoria is leading the way in Australia for supporting the adoption of electric transport policies to promote a sustainable industry.
The polling results say 71 per cent of Victorians support the state government setting a goal of 100 per cent emissions bus fleets being introduced by 2030.
Only 17 per cent of respondents said they opposed the target, as the goal matches plans adopted by New South Wales to decarbonise its bus fleets.
Australia Institute researcher Audrey Quicke says this research showed the strong community support for Victoria in matching NSW’s electric bus policy.
“Progress towards electrification is mixed across the country, with states like NSW running ahead of time and Victoria close behind,” Quicke says.
“Other states and the federal government have missed the bus completely.
“The full electrification of bus fleets is a widely popular policy option amongst Australians. The Climate of the Nation 2021 report shows that three in four Australians support fully electrifying state bus fleets by 2030.”
The same polling also says that a similar proportion of Victorians who support the electric bus fleet plans also support the Australian manufacturing of buses regardless of political affiliations.
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Coalition voters were more likely to support the Australian manufacturing of buses at 78 per cent, while the majority of One Nation voters at 54 per cent supported local bus making even if it increases transport costs.
Currently the transport sector is Australia’s third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, so the emergence of a growing range of electric vehicles such as buses has created an opportunity to slash the industry’s emissions.
“Shifting from private passenger vehicle use to zero emissions public transport will help curb Australia’s rising transport emissions,” the research paper says.
“When considering other factors like population growth and the significant non-CO2 pollutant emission associated with traditional diesel buses, it’s clear that the electrification of buses should be a central pillar of any transport decarbonisation strategy.”