Kinetic Set To Introduce More Buses To Canterbury

More than a quarter of Kinetic’s Go Bus fleet in Christchurch will soon be electric, with confirmation 10 more zero-emission buses are bound for the city next year.

Leading NZ bus operator Kinetic will introduce the 10 electric buses across a number of local routes, to replace older diesel buses and further reduce the emissions from its Christchurch bus services.

The introduction of these new electric buses is made possible by Environment Canterbury being awarded additional funding from Waka Kotahi to help decarbonise the urban Metro fleet.

The additional 10 electric buses will see Kinetic grow its city fleet to 51 battery electric vehicles, which represents more than 25 per cent of its local fleet.

“It’s a great step towards achieving our goal of having a 100% zero emission fleet across New Zealand and Australia by 2035,” says Kinetic NZ Managing Director Calum Haslop.

“Reducing our carbon footprint is a priority at Kinetic and so far this year, our 41 electric buses in Christchuch alone have saved over 2 million tonnes of C02 emissions.

“We are working with other councils around the country to further leverage this special Waka Kotahi funding, so expect to see more electric buses on the road across New Zealand.”

Environment Canterbury Chair Peter Scott said he is delighted to have secured the funding for Christchurch.

“This is a continuation of the work we have already been doing in this space – currently 20 per cent of our fleet is zero emissions,” Scott said.

The new buses can be expected on Canterbury roads in 2024.

Kinetic is the largest operator of electric buses in New Zealand, with over 200 zero emission vehicles powered by eight electric depots across Auckland, Tauranga, Christchurch and Wellington, in partnership with local regional councils.

Globally, Kinetic’s electric bus fleet is expected to grow to 1,000 this year with operations in Australia, the UK, Europe and Singapore. The company is aiming to achieve net zero emissions by 2035, which includes a 100 per cent electric fleet.

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