First electric bus in WA hits streets of Perth as Transport Minister Rita Saffioti says another 130 expected

WA’s first locally made electric bus has hit Perth streets. Transport Minster Rita Saffioti showed off the bus in East Perth on Saturday, saying it marked “a big milestone for WA’s electric bus manufacturing program”. “I am thrilled the community will now be able to jump on board the first locally-made zero-emission bus,” she said. “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.” Over the next few years, 130 new electric buses are expected to be manufactured in Perth and added to the free CAT routes in the CBD and outlying suburbs as part of a $250 million State-Commonwealth initiative. It’s expected that by the middle of next year, a further 17 electric CAT buses will be rolled out, with new charging infrastructure installed at the Elizabeth Quay bus depot. The State Government also recently awarded contracts totalling $12m to local Perth businesses Civcon and Gemtek to upgrade and retrofit the Malaga bus depot for electric bus charging capabilities. Each electric bus can travel up to 300km on a single charge and expected to save about 40 tonnes of carbon emissions every year. “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,” Ms Saffioti said. “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.”