Western Australia has marked a major milestone over the weekend, with the state’s first battery electric bus to operate Perth CAT routes beginning passenger services.
Part of a joint $250 million state and commonwealth government initiative, the bus will operate on the Perth CAT routes in the CBD, with a further 17 electric CAT buses expected to be rolled out for passenger services by the middle of next year.
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“This is a big milestone for our electric bus manufacturing program, and I am thrilled the community will now be able to jump on board the first locally-made zero-emission bus,” transport minister Rita Saffioti says.
“This is a fantastic program that is not only helping deliver a cleaner and lower-emissions public transport network but helping to drive local manufacturing jobs.”
The initiative will eventually see 130 new electric buses added to the network and infrastructure upgrades undertaken at a range of depots.
The WA government recently awarded contracts totalling $12 million to local Perth businesses Civcon and Gemtek to upgrade and retrofit the Malaga bus depot for electric bus charging capabilities.
Further upgrades are planned at other depots around Perth including Karrinyup, Whiteman Park and Claisebrook.
The investment to deliver the new electric bus fleet in Western Australia is directly supporting more than 100 local jobs, including nine apprenticeships.
Staff have also undertaken specialised high-voltage technical training in recent weeks to prepare them for the growing electric bus fleet.
“In expanding the State’s fleet of electric buses, we are not only reducing carbon emissions, but we’re also creating positive change economically by supporting more than 100 local jobs and saving up to $1 million in operating costs over its 18-year service life,” Saffioti says.
“In the next couple of years, we will see the fleet of electric buses grow substantially, while significant investment will also be undertaken to ensure our network of depots have the infrastructure in place to support operations.”
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