Penrith buses driving towards greener future

Penrith residents will be able to breathe a little easier with Busways expanding its electric bus fleet this month.

The Australian bus operator is now operating the second largest electric bus fleet in NSW, adding six new zero emissions buses (ZEBs) to its roster.

Busways purchased the first 12 Custom Denning Elements, which were made in St Marys in 2021, and has invested heavily in electric charging infrastructure at its Penrith depot over the last two years.

Managing Director of Busways, Byron Rowe said the addition of six new Yutong E12 electric buses to the Busways fleet in Penrith continues the journey to decrease carbon emissions.

“These new ZEBs are part of our plan to increase sustainable outcomes for local communities and contribute to NSW’s objectives of cutting emissions by 70 per cent by 2035,” he said.

“One electric bus saves up to 34 tonnes of local Co2 emissions per annum –with 18 buses, each year we are preventing 620 tonnes of Co2 from entering the atmosphere in western Sydney, compared to electric buses.

“We’re continuing plans for electric bus rollouts to deliver positive outcomes for our local communities.”

The announcement comes after Busways’ recent trials of various electric bus makes including Volvo, BYD and Yutong.

Chief Operating Officer Chris Wolf said Busways will continue to work closely with a range of manufacturers as electric vehicles are constantly evolving.

“We will continue to trial new vehicles and equipment, testing aspects such as reliability, charging performance and energy efficiency,” he said.

“We have just finished trials of BYD and Volvo vehicles and we are working on several other trials in the pipeline.”

Busways has already trained 80 Penrith drivers and seven mechanics on the new vehicles with more undergoing training this week.

Bus Driver and Assistant Operations Manager, Jimmy Chen said he’s very excited to get behind the wheel.

“I’m enjoying driving the new green buses,” he said.

“The buses feel smoother to drive because there isn’t much brake intervention, which provides a smoother ride for passengers.”

Four of the Yutong electric buses started service last week.