Victoria's first all-electric bus depot will be up and running in the coming weeks, marking a significant achievement in the Andrews Labor Government's efforts to develop a cleaner, more sustainable bus fleet. Premier Daniel Andrews and Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll visited the Ventura depot in Ivanhoe, which will soon be home to the state's largest fleet of locally manufactured zero-emission electric buses.
The depot is being transformed into the base for a growing fleet of electric buses as part of the Labor Government's $20 million Zero Emissions Bus (ZEB) trial. This trial will provide the basis for converting the state's nearly 4,000 diesel public transport buses to zero emissions, with all new buses on Victoria's public transport routes expected to be zero emission by 2025.
The electric bus bodies used in the ZEB trial will be manufactured at Volgren's Dandenong South facility, supporting local jobs and boosting the local economy. The Ivanhoe depot will be the first of its kind in Victoria and will include installing a new on-site transformer and 14 chargers. Electrification specialist Zenobē will oversee the upgraded grid connection to support the 14 dual-gun tritium fast chargers.
By March, 12 new zero-emission buses will be running on nine routes in the northern suburbs, including La Trobe University, Gowrie Station and Northland Shopping Centre. The Ivanhoe depot will continue to be converted to accommodate 27 battery-electric buses by early 2024, carrying up to 10,000 people each week and travelling more than 1.2 million kilometres a year in and around the northern suburbs.
The Labor Government's aim to develop a more modern and reliable bus network that attracts more passengers includes a greener fleet, with the new electric buses crucial to achieving net-zero emissions by 2045. The transition of the Ventura depot to a cleaner, more sustainable fleet is a key aspect of Victoria's Bus Plan.