The Western Australian Government is set to expand the state’s electric bus fleet, with the 2023-24 State Budget to confirm a $125 million allocation to the program.
Combined with a $125 million commitment from the Federal Government, the $250 million program is expected to deliver 130 new locally built electric buses and charging infrastructure at key depots.
The 2023-24 State Budget will allocate an initial $22 million next financial year – funded through the Perth Parking Levy – to purchase and build 18 new electric buses and install electric charging infrastructure within Elizabeth Quay Bus Station.
The funding is set to expand on the existing electric bus trial on the Joondalup CAT route, which has seen four battery-electric vehicles supplied through the Public Transport Authority’s existing bus agreement with Volvo to operate within the northern suburbs.
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Transport Minister, Rita Saffioti, said the investment will help deliver around 130 new electric buses and for associated upgrades including installing charging infrastructure at key depots.
“We have been running electric buses through Joondalup for the last year and the cleaner, greener technology has been popular among passengers,” Saffioti said
“The ongoing success of the trial has allowed us to commit more funding to expand the electric bus program, getting more of this environmentally friendly technology on Perth streets.
“If four of these buses have managed to carry more than 250,000 passengers and save 230 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in a year, it is exciting to think what a growing fleet will be able to achieve in the near future.”
As part of the trial, the Joondalup bus depot received a high-voltage EV charging system which allows electric buses to be recharged overnight through a combination of the existing grid network and a 100kW solar array connected to a large on-site battery storage system.
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