Queensland to build 400 low emission buses

The Queensland government has launched a new plan to deliver hundreds of locally made zero emission buses through direct government procurement.

The new zero-emission buses will replace aging diesel buses in operation on the Translink network, with more than 400 buses locally manufactured, dependent on a competitive procurement process.

The commitment builds on the Government’s recent decision to support construction of 200 new Euro 6 diesel buses in Queensland.

Through the new Zero Emission Bus Program investment, all new buses procured from 2025 will be zero-emission vehicles cutting CO2 emissions by up to 80 per cent.

Translink already has 75 zero emission buses being trialled at eight depots across Queensland to help inform the design of zero-emission buses and depots from 2025.

Local bus manufacturing will be boosted through local content requirements, which will see the creation of direct and indirect jobs and local opportunities for small and medium business to be part of the broader supply chain.

Bus depots will also go clean, with new zero emission depots to be built and existing depots to be transitioned.

The Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick said the government was decarbonising Queensland’s economy.

Dick said: “The local construction of these buses ensures Queensland’s manufacturing industry remains at the cutting edge of clean energy manufacturing, giving workers confidence their good jobs are secure for decades to come.”

The State Secretary of the Queensland and Northern Territory Branch of the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) Rohan Webb said: “For years the AMWU has fought to bring manufacturing home to Queensland.

“From trains in Maryborough now to buses in the South-East – this move not only secures good local jobs but sets up a pipeline of work for local communities for years to come.”

Further reading:
Queensland to get 200 locally-made diesel buses

Picture: BusTech electric bus