Volvo and Western Australia’s Public Transport Authority have announced they are partnering to bring Volvo’s first ever electric buses to Australia.
Four Volvo electric buses will be delivered to the PTA as part of the existing 900 Bus Supply Agreement between Volvo and Transperth which was signed in March 2019.
The Agreement includes provisions for the introduction of alternative powered vehicles into the public transport bus network when the technology became available in Volvo’s Australian product line.
“We are excited to partner with the PTA in Perth for our first electric buses in Australia,” said David Mead, vicepresident Volvo Buses Asia Pacific.
“Our relationship with the PTA now spans over a decade and in years to come the city of Perth will indeed be aVolvo city with 100 per cent of the bus fleet being Volvo,” David Mead said.
“Volvo’s contract with PTA included a technology roadmap that allowed PTA to access diesel, self-chargingelectric and battery-electric vehicles over time. PTA can access the variety of tools available to them and match thetechnology to the route and need,”.
The buses will be operated for the PTA by Swan Transit in Joondalup, Perth’s primary urban centre in the northern suburbs. They will join the existing Central Area Transit System (CAT) in Joondalup, which are zero-fare routes,” he added.
The Volvo says introducing alternate technologies is nothing new for the PTA and the company.
The two organisations conducted a successful trial of hybrid buses when Volvo brought them to market in 2013, which they say not only allowed Volvo to prove the concept, but grow hybrid bus sales across Australia.
“Trialling new, green technology is a great use of our public transport network, already one of the mostenvironmentally friendly ways to get around Perth,” said Western Australian Transport Minister Rita Saffioti.
“This is the first time we have trialled electric buses on a CAT route and I’m excited to
see what commuters think about this new technology,” she said.
