Seymour has been chosen as the first town in Victoria to operate an an entirely electric local bus fleet.
As a major component of the Andrews Government’s $20 million three-year Zero Emissions Bus Trial, Seymour residents have been told they should expect to see the first electric bus on the road by December.
Results from the trial will be used to inform the government’s planning on the practical requirements of operating emission-free buses across Victoria.
Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll told The Telegraph that one of the reasons why Seymour had been chosen as the first town to have a completely electric fleet was its “unique” positioning as a town where “the city meets the region”.
“Seymour is growing. It's got a very active school network, it's got a very active local shopping centre. There's a train station here. So it's all about those pieces coming together; from the depot to the train station, to the shopping centre to the schools; to make sure it's holistic as possible,” Mr Carroll said.
“We can take all those learnings literally from Seymour, and you can really transport those learnings to the Latrobe Valley to Bendigo, Ballarat — wherever we want to go.”
About concerns that the community may want other local transport projects to be prioritised, Mr Carroll was confident that the community would get on board.
“Once the local communities get on the first bus, when they see how smooth, quiet (the electric buses are) it really will change their experience and they'll feel so much better ... I think it's really a boon for Seymour,” he said.
“In relation to other transport investments, there's always more we can do.”
The trial will involve local bus operator Seymour Passenger Services, owned by Sita Holdings, operating three electric buses on the town’s five bus routes.
Seymour Passenger Services expects the electric buses to transport almost 1000 passengers each week with bus routes providing passengers with access to the train station, town centre, Anzac Village Shopping Centre, Seymour Hospital, Puckapunyal Barracks and local schools.
Speaking at the trial announcement in Seymour, Sita Holdings general manager Andrew Chan was “pretty comfortable” the trial was on schedule and told media that the chassis for the first bus was already being airfreighted.
Mr Chan told the press that he expected to have “the full town service fully electric by mid-July.”
The trial will see Seymour Passenger Services team up with bus manufacturers Volgren and Volvo Group Australia in addition to energy providers Siemens, Mondo Power and Evenergi. The buses are set to be charged at the Seymour Passenger Services local depot on Highlands Rd.
The trial involves a total of 41electric buses being rolled out by the Victorian Government. By 2025, the government is hoping to have assessed the performance of the buses, energy and charging requirements, financial and environmental sustainability, and customer outcomes.