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A collection of electric buses owned by a contractor for Transport NSW was recently seen being charged with diesel generators, prompting concerns about the state government’s shift towards eco-friendly energy.
About 15 of the U-Go Mobility buses were seen powering up at a depot in Marrickville, 2GB Sydney reported this afternoon.
“If you’re plugging a bus into a diesel generator, it’s completely pointless,” host Clinton Maynard said.
Barbara Wise, the acting coordinator general, clarified the situation by explaining that the fleet was urgently deployed to address bus shortages in the northern part of the city and is currently substituting for trains as the government works on transitioning the South West link to a Metro service.
“These buses are meant for short-term use, so investing a significant amount of taxpayer money to fully upgrade the depot to electric wouldn’t be practical. We anticipate relocating these buses to an electrified depot within the next nine to twelve months,” she explained to 2GB.
The NSW government currently has more than 8000 diesel and gas-powered public transport buses on the roads.
The state has invested in its multi-billion-dollar program to transition the fleet to zero emissions technology in the hope of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Greater Sydney is set to reach the target by 2035, outer metropolitan regions by 2040 and regional NSW by 2047.
In December, the government purchased 319 new zero-emissions buses and plans to purchase 1000 more by 2027.
