The Malaga depot in Western Australia will be the first in the state to receive major upgrades to support a large fleet of electric buses, with retro-fitting contracts recently awarded.
Giving the depot the capacity to fully-charge 90 buses overnight, the work follows the partial upgrade to the Joondalup depot in 2022, as part of a trial of four electric buses.
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Local Perth businesses Civcon and Gemtek have been awarded the contracts, valued at $12 million, to extend and realign the bus parking area and install EV charging equipment.
The upgrades come as part of the $250 million joint initiative between the state and federal governments, with $125 million allocated for electric bus charging infrastructure in Perth, and $125 million committed for the acquisition of 130 locally-manufactured electric buses.
“Australia’s transport sector is the third largest source of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, which is why our Governments’ pursuit of an electric bus network is critical for our transition to net zero,” transport minister Catherine King says.
“The retrofitting of Malaga bus depot – which will be the first of many to be rolled out under this program – will deliver zero-emission public transport services for commuters now while supporting the growth of the WA capital.
“This means a more effective transport system, better outcomes for passengers, and lower noise levels and exhaust fumes in urban areas.”
The award of the contracts comes as the first out of 18 electric CAT bus prepares to enter formal passenger services within the week.
Electric buses have been operating in Perth since early 2022 when four were added to the Joondalup CAT route as part of a trial. Since then, the quartet has carried more than 440,000 passengers and covered more than 380,000 kilometres, saving about 350 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in the process.
“What started out as four buses is now a commitment to provide 130 locally-built electric buses to be rolled out over the next two years,” WA transport minister Rita Saffioti.
“As this program continues to expand, we must ensure we have the infrastructure in place to support the day-to-day running of these buses. Upgrades to existing depots, such as the one in Malaga, are essential to the smooth and efficient operation of the electric bus fleet now and into the future.”
Further conversions of bus depots to electric charging will be rolled out to support the future production of electric buses.
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