Tara Murray
Sunshine West is one of the new homes for an eclectic bus fleet that will play a major roll in Melbourne’s public transport fleet.
Bus operator Kinetic will roll battery buses as part of their bigger bus fleet, with new electric stations completed at the company’s Sunshine West and Heatherton depots.
The upgrades, which were done in partnership between the state government and Kinetic are part of the Metropolitan bus franchise, which will result in 36 battery electric buses introduced to their Melbourne bus fleet by mid-2025 – an average of one new electric bus joining the network each month.
Nine electric buses already run out of Sunshine West.
To support the roll out, new undercover bays have been built to provide weather protection and charging infrastructure for the buses at Sunshine West, including 24 charging dispensers.
More than 300 solar panels have been installed to reduce the depot’s carbon footprint, while the electricity to power the buses is 100 per cent green via a carbon offset program.
Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll who visited the Sunshine West site last week, said tackling emissions in the bus industry is critical to Victoria meeting the government’s target of net zero emissions by 2045.
Kinetic co-chief executive Michael Sewards said the Sunshine West and Heatherton depots are an investment in a safe, reliable, and sustainable network that will encourage more Victorians to get out of their cars and onto our buses.
“Electric buses are better for the environment, better for our communities and make better financial sense,” he said.
“The transport industry is a significant contributor to Victoria’s CO2 emissions, and we are proud to play a key role in delivering a cleaner future for all Victorians.”
