Volvo is supplementing its milestone electric bus delivery into Queensland with unique driver training held at Transdev this week
Ahead of the first Volvo BZL Electric being delivered to Transdev this week, Volvo Bus Australia has delivered hands on, specialised competency training to Transdev staff.
This Volvo BZL Electric delivery marks the first bus in an order of 17, set to be delivered to Transdev Queensland throughout the first half of 2023.
Translink has worked with Transdev to order the buses, with the first scheduled to start services in February.
Each bus is being built locally at Volgren’s manufacturing facility in Brisbane, with each bus built supporting five jobs at Volgren.
From the start of the electric bus conversation in Australia, Volvo was clear that procuring electric vehicles had requirements over and beyond just the delivery of a bus. It’s this approach that has reaffirmed Volvo Bus Australia as a long-term business partner for many operators, including Transdev.
Volvo Bus Australia national competency manager David Woodward was deployed to the Transdev Capalaba depot this week to lead a full day training session for Transdev staff.
This is not the first major organisation to welcome Woodward into the fold for hands-on, face to face training – with many in the industry recognising the industry stalwart as he arrives onsite at depots and workshops around the country.
Woodward’s role sees him deliver more than 300 days of training per year to operators around the country – from the Western Australia PTA to Brisbane City Council or privately-run operators such as Buslines and Busways.
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All of this training is at no cost to the operators, but rather a ‘value-add’ from Volvo – a commitment Volvo made three years ago, knowing that product-specific training was vital to the strength of the Australian bus industry and in line with Volvo core values of safety and quality.
Volvo Bus Australia general manager Mitch Peden says: “Having staff from operators around Australia actively engaged in these training sessions is vital to the quality outcomes pursued within our bus and coach industry.”
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“At Volvo, we didn’t want to ever just sell a bus and be done – we know the key to establishing long-term enduring business partnerships with our customers is to be there to offer real, practical, hands-on support to drive incremental gains in safety and quality outcomes.
“That’s why David’s role is so integral to our operations – as well as our large team of regional service managers, who are hands on with customers literally around the country. It’s the biggest service team in the Australian bus industry and we’re super proud of that.”
Volvo also worked with TAFE NSW to launch a dedicated e-bus Microskills training course in 2022 and then gave 500 enrolments out at no cost to valued customers and supplier partners.
The Volvo BZL Electric is backed by years of planning, development and testing and also offers automated zoning technology such as geofencing and safety zones, making it a quality, safe and reliable product for the Queensland community.