Electric bus trial terminated

The electric bus trial that Noosa Council was hoping to pioneer has come to an end. 

The contract to build the electric bus has stalled, according to Mayor Tony Wellington.

“It is with some regret that Council has decided not to continue with the electric bus trial project,” he said. “Put simply, the supplier has been unable to meet any of the contractual target dates. We believe that the best option is to pull the plug – to use a pun – and avoid risking ratepayer money on what was becoming an increasingly lengthy and difficult project to bring to fruition.

“Although the supplier provides fast-charge electric buses around the world, it seems that they were having great trouble meeting Australian standards in their design of the bus.

“The good news is that we have only spent around $18,000 to get to this point. That money has been used for consultants, Energex design work and staff time. Council’s overall commitment to the trial was half a million dollars. Better that we decide to terminate now and ensure that there is no further risk to ratepayers’ money. 

“There have been learnings on the risks and opportunities of this trial, which was done in conjunction with TransLink. We have learnt that there are real risks associated with having overseas technology meet our Australian standards. Unfortunately, at the time we contracted the work, there were no viable and proven manufacturers of these fast charge buses in Australia. What’s more, the finer details of the overseas bus design had not been tested against Australian standards.

“This isn’t the end of electric buses for Noosa. I expect we will see electric buses eventuate as part of our ongoing transport solutions. Smaller, electric shuttle buses are likely to be part of the answer to our congestion problems. 

“Hopefully, local manufacturers will see this opportunity and want to catch up with the global trend towards sustainable transport options.

“Noosa Council remains committed to innovation and best practice. At the same time, we closely monitor value-for-money for the ratepayer. 

“Our zero emissions strategy is running to schedule, and there are a range of exciting developments rolling out because of that commitment.”

30 May 2017