Auckland’s electric bus roll-out will this year go up a level – literally – when the first battery-powered double decker joins the fleet.
The global quest for a full-sized 90-seater double decker has been a long one, but Auckland Transport said new models from manufacturers meant one in the right format would soon be trialled in Auckland.
The electric double decker will be based at operator Kinetic’s new, purpose-built electric bus depot in New Lynn, which was officially opened on Tuesday, nine days after dispatching the first of its 43 new single-deck electrics.
Wellington operator Tranzit has some smaller electric double-deckers in service in the capital, and a diesel double-decker, converted to battery power, but Auckland’s will be the first with the same capacity as the existing diesel double deckers.
Auckland now has 133 zero-emission buses in its fleet, the biggest fleet in the country, and the agency’s Edward Wright told the crowd at the depot opening, it may also be slightly ahead of Sydney – making it Australasia’s biggest fleet.
