Electric buses
Anthony CARBINES (Ivanhoe – Minister for Police, Minister for Crime Prevention, Minister for Racing) (11:11): I am pleased to say that Victoria’s first all-electric bus depot will be powered up in coming weeks, marking a major milestone in the Andrews Labor government’s push towards a cleaner and more sustainable bus fleet. I was pleased, and not for the first time, to welcome the Premier Daniel Andrews and the Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll who visited the Ventura Ivanhoe depot in West Heidelberg, which is set to become home to the largest fleet of locally made zero-emission electric buses across the state. The depot is currently being converted into the base for the expanding fleet of electric buses, which forms part of the Labor government’s $20 million zero-emissions bus trial. That trial will inform the transition of some 4000 diesel buses in the state’s public fleet, including around 2200 in regional Victoria, to zero emissions. From 2025 all new buses on Victoria’s public transport routes will be zero emissions. Electric bus bodies to be trialled will be built at Volgren’s Dandenong South manufacturing facility in Victoria, again local jobs investing money into our local communities and the economy.
Ventura’s move to a cleaner, greener fleet is part of the trial, with 12 new zero-emission buses going into service from the newly converted Ivanhoe depot early next month – in March. The new zero-emission buses will operate on nine suburban northern suburbs routes, including to La Trobe University and of course that mecca of the north, Northland shopping centre. Works to convert the Ivanhoe depot continue and include the installation of a new transformer on site with 14 chargers. We are really rapt about this. This is all about the Labor government’s goal of net zero emissions by 2045, and the Victorian bus plan is playing its role.