Australia's first 100 per cent electric bus depot will open its doors on the Gold Coast today.
The new electric bus depot in Currumbin will be completely powered by renewable energy, including a 56-kilowatt solar panel array.
The depot is expected to house 14 electric buses, including some that will travel the 777 route from the Gold Coast Airport to Coolangatta.
It comes as 30 new electric buses will be hitting Queensland's roads from next month, with a local company heading up one-third of the construction.
South East regions will benefit
Gold Coast bus manufacturer BusTech is building 10 of the new electric buses, which will be used by commuters in Logan from later this year.
From late June, there will also be 10 on the Gold Coast.
Five of the buses will be rolled out on the Sunshine Coast and another five will be operating in Cairns soon.
Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the 30 buses were part of a commitment by the state government to make all new South East Queensland buses environmentally friendly from 2025.
"That commitment expands to our regions between 2025 and 2030," he said.
Three electric Translink buses have been on the road since April last year.
Greener travel built locally
Adam Begg, co-chief executive of bus company Kinetic, which will operate the buses on the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Cairns, said the company was excited to partner with Translink to make bus travel more environmentally sustainable.
The company operates zero-emission buses in Auckland and Christchurch in New Zealand.
Clarks Logan City director Reg Clark said he was looking forward to adding the electric buses to his fleet south of Brisbane.
Mr Clark said charging stations had been recently built with locally purchased Tritium chargers.
"[With] the buses in build down the road at BusTech, this project really ticks all the boxes from a local supply chain perspective," he said.
Two bioethanol-fuelled buses and 16 new electric buses will also be sent to Mackay for a 12-month trial later this year.
Airport route first in line
Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said she was excited to see her home city host Australia's first all-electric bus depot.
She said with new buses on routes travelling to and from the airport, the first impression for some tourists coming to the Gold Coast could be a ride on an electric vehicle.
"Transport is the second-biggest emitter in Queensland but is rapidly evolving to embrace zero-emissions technology."
She said government research had found each electric bus could save as much as 1,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases over its lifespan, and electric buses were quieter and produced less harmful air pollution.
Ms Scanlon said the new buses put Queensland in a "nation-leading position" on climate change.
"I'm sure customers across Queensland will enjoy riding on the new buses knowing that the project is playing an important role in the future of public transport in this state," she said.
