Metlink expands electric fleet

Wellington roads will soon see more electric buses beginning service, with 16 new battery-electric buses being added to Metlink’s fleet.

Owned by Metlink operator Kinetic, the new buses will replace 10 older diesel models, bringing the total number of electric buses in the fleet up to 119.

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The new additions bring Metlink’s fleet to now be 25 per cent electrified, bringing the company closer to its 2030 goal of full electrification – along with plans to add a further 31 electric buses over the next three years.

The electric buses are expected to enter service by the end of April, operating on numerous routes in and around Wellington. Two of the routes will be fully electric as a result, namely route 2 and route 4.

“The aim is for all 16 buses to be in service by the end of April, making a noticeable difference to noise and pollution, as we continue to drive down our carbon emissions and work towards the electrification of all core bus routes by 2030,” Greater Wellington transport chair Thomas Nash says.

Since its introduction in January 2024, route 4 has become one of the busiest Metlink services, carrying more than 1.4 million passengers in the past year and connecting key locations across Wellington CBD, including Wellington Hospital.

“About one third of the kilometers travelled by Metlink buses are now powered by electricity instead of fossil fuels and this has been a major factor in the increase of air quality on central city streets like Manners, Willis and Lambton Quay, where noxious fumes have dropped markedly in the last couple of years,” Nash says.

“Despite serious government funding constraints, we just hit another all-time high with 2.6 million bus trips in March, up 2.6 per cent from March 2024, with bus reliability at 99.7 per cent for the month.

“Upgrading our fleet ensures we maintain this high level of service while increasing frequency and capacity.”

Metlink group manager Samantha Gain says the new buses arrive in time for planned timetable changes to improve network efficiency.

“Bus timetables are adjusted four times a year, aligning with the school term and university trimesters. We regularly analyse patronage data to refine services and ensure we’re meeting our passenger’s needs,” Gain says.

Timetable and route changes effective from 27 April include:

• Route 12e will change to the 38x, becoming the first express service from Kilbirnie to the CBD.
• After Midnight services N2 and N3 will be replaced by route 2 Miramar to Karori services at midnight, 1am, 2am and 5am.
• Weekend route 18 services will be discontinued, with weekday timetable adjustments to better suit Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington students.
• Saturday services on route 4 will run every 20-minutes between 8am and 3pm to replace route 18 services.