Residents of Seymour are the first in regional Victoria to benefit from their town having an entirely zero emission bus network as part of the state government’s push toward a cleaner and more sustainable bus fleet.
Seymour is leading the way in transitioning the state’s entire bus fleet to zero emissions with all the buses servicing the town’s five bus routes now being electric.
Seymour Passenger Services rolled out its first zero emission bus in January this year and is one of six operators across Victoria taking part in the Victorian government’s $20 million Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) Trial, which will see 52 zero emission buses – 50 electric and two hydrogen – rolled out across Melbourne, Traralgon and Seymour.
“Seymour is leading the way in Victoria with cleaner and more sustainable transport options as we push towards achieving net zero emissions by 2045,” Victorian public transport minister Ben Carroll says.
“We’re investing in cleaner technologies, supporting local manufacturing and delivering a more modern, efficient and reliable bus network that gets passengers where they need to go.”
The trial is helping inform the transition to zero emissions with data collected providing practical information such as how zero emission buses perform and the energy and charging requirements for different types of services.
The three-year ZEB trial is also giving insights into how the buses can improve financial and environmental sustainability and foster vital local industry partnerships – such as with energy providers and manufacturers – that will be needed to achieve the transition across the state.
From 2025, all new buses added to Victoria’s public transport routes will be zero emissions as the state transitions around 4,500 diesel buses in the public fleet – including around 2,200 in regional Victoria – to greener technology.
Creating a greener fleet is part of Victoria’s Bus Plan to develop a modern and reliable network that attracts more passengers, with new greener buses critical to the Victorian Government’s goal of net zero emissions by 2045.
The state government has also recently completed a public consultation on the zero-emission bus transition which will also inform the approach and sequencing of the state-wide transition.
“This is a win for the local community as Seymour bus passengers become the first in the state to benefit from an entirely zero emissions bus fleet and the quieter and smoother journeys that come with this greener technology,” Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes says.