The Victorian Government has unveiled its road map to transform Victoria’s diesel bus fleet towards zero emissions.
The Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) Plan will help guide how Victoria’s diesel fleet will be progressively phased out and replaced by zero emission buses – as the state pushes towards a cleaner and more sustainable bus fleet.
The plan will provide operators and industry with information on how Victoria will transition towards ZEB buses, along with key insights and innovations on technologies within the ZEB industry, said Minister for Public and Active Transport, Gabrielle Williams.
“We’re converting Victoria’s entire public bus fleet to be quieter and more comfortable for passengers while at the same time slashing emissions,” said Minister Williams.
“We are working with the bus industry to ensure the ZEB transition not only improves the customer experience, but also boosts local manufacturing, creating even more local jobs”.
She said the ZEB plan will also create opportunities for manufacturing across the state – setting a minimum 62% local content requirement to allow small and medium Victorian enterprises to enter the growing supply chain.
From mid-2025, new buses ordered for the public fleet will be required to be zero emission – with almost 690 ZEB buses already funded through the Labor Government’s $20 million ZEB trial and current contracts with bus operators.
The ZEB Transition Plan will see some operators begin the switch immediately to ZEBs, led by the larger operators in Melbourne and large regional centres, with many smaller operators – especially in regional areas – taking a more gradual approach.
The new Metropolitan Zero Emission Bus Franchises covers a third of the metropolitan bus fleet and will see 600 existing diesel buses with new zero emission battery electric buses by 2035 – saving an estimated 45,000 tonnes of carbon emissions every year.
“Lowering emissions across Victoria’s bus industry is an important step forward to achieving our world leading target of net zero emissions by 2045,” said Minister for Climate Action, Lily D’Ambrosio.
