Last week ORC debuted its first large 75-passenger capacity electric bus.

By July there will be six of the 75-capacity buses as part of a fleet of a total of 13 new electric buses being brought into service for the Mosgiel routes.

ORC’s Manager Transport Lorraine Cheyne says the Mosgiel electric bus fleet will eventually consist of the 6 large buses and 6 normal size buses seen on the network.

There will also be one smaller, 22-seat, wheelchair accessible bus for the up-and-coming Mosgiel On Demand service.

“We’re excited to see the successful introduction of the first large bus, given Mosgiel bus patronage has steadily increased following the introduction of the express bus service in 2023” she says.

The larger buses are being introduced to increase capacity during peak times and allow for further bus-use growth in Mosgiel, Ms Cheyne says.

The 13 new electric buses will be servicing routes 77, 78 and the new On Demand service which will be replacing routes 80 and 81, scheduled for 30 June. The efficiency of the larger buses will allow some minor tweaking to the timetable, for smoother connections, supported by some minor route changes. These will all be communicated closer to the time.

While the enlarged fleet is scheduled to start servicing these routes from 30 June, Ms Cheyne says the first large bus went into service arrived in the country in early-April, with further vehicles due for delivery in May and June.

“Being able to put the larger bus into service early provides drivers with the opportunity to gain experience in the new vehicles,” she says.

Eventually much of the fleet will be stabled at Go Bus’s, existing depot on Dukes Road, Mosgiel, which has been upgraded to include charging infrastructure for the 13 new electric vehicles.

Go Bus (a subsidiary of Kinetic) was the successful contract tenderer and has installed a new electric charging station, says Ms Cheyne.

Ben Barlow, Chief Operating Officer, Go Bus, says: “The arrival of the first Go Bus zero emission bus (ZEB) marks an exciting milestone in our journey with Otago Regional Council to deliver cleaner, more sustainable public transport for the region.”

“We’ve already received fantastic feedback from both customers and drivers — passengers are enjoying the quieter, more comfortable ride, while our drivers have found the vehicle smooth to operate across varied terrain, from motorways to residential streets.”

“Comprehensive driver training has ensured our team is confident and well-prepared, and we’ve completed the depot charging infrastructure ahead of schedule to fully support the 13 electric buses as they come into service.”

“It’s a proud moment for our Dunedin team, and we’re excited to keep working alongside ORC to support their long-term environmental goals,” says Mr Barlow.

Note to editors: the new bus is owned and operated by Go Bus, which are contracted to operate under the ORC’s Orbus branding. As contracts fall due, diesel buses will be progressively phased out and replaced by electric, over the coming years. The new bus model is a Chinese built Geely C13E.

The total fleet size is currently 106 vehicles across both Dunedin and Queenstown, Go bus and Ritchies in Dunedin, and Ritchies in Queenstown.

ORC introduced EV’s to Dunedin in its Unit 3 contract in 2023, with a saving of some 240, 000 liters of diesel fuel being saved per-annum across the life of the 9-year contract on those 11 EV vehicles operate. (Total figure estimated of 2.16 million liters of diesel fuel saved/not consumed across the nine years)

We do not have confirmed figures for how much fuel will be saved using these new electric Mosgiel buses, but an estimate for 9 years, ORC estimates ~21.2 million liters of diesel fuel to be consumed. Therefore, by mid-2025, this will reduce by ~22%.

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