# Electric vs Hydrogen vs Hybrid vs Diesel vs CNG buses **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Tags:** buses, discussion\ **Created:** [30 September 2026 10:45 UTC](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/t/electric-vs-hydrogen-vs-hybrid-vs-diesel-vs-cng-buses/1762 "2026-09-30T10:45:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Busman66](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/user_avatar/forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/busman66/32/6599_2.png) [@Busman66](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/u/Busman66)\ **Post date:** [30 September 2026 10:45 UTC](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/t/electric-vs-hydrogen-vs-hybrid-vs-diesel-vs-cng-buses/1762/1 "2026-09-30T10:45:29Z")
Electric buses are great in reducing emissions, but require charging infrastructure and one small glitch could render a bus or a fleet useless Hydrogen buses require even more infrastructure and are taller so are limited to where they could go Hybrid buses are great for suburban services, but can overheat often (in the case of 1595) and can have issues Diesel buses are excellent for all services, and euro 5 and 6 engines are great for reducing emissions, and don’t require as much infrastructure CNG was once a good idea, then Brisbane, Perth and Sydney got stuck in the CNG trap and are now trying to retire 300+ buses from each operator ---
**Author:** ![rowangray](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/user_avatar/forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/rowangray/32/5835_2.png) [@rowangray](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/u/rowangray)\ **Post date:** [30 September 2026 11:06 UTC](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/t/electric-vs-hydrogen-vs-hybrid-vs-diesel-vs-cng-buses/1762/2 "2026-09-30T11:06:22Z")
> [@Busman66](#): > > one small glitch could render a bus or a fleet useless Curious about what you mean by this? ---
**Author:** ![Busman66](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/user_avatar/forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/busman66/32/6599_2.png) [@Busman66](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/u/Busman66)\ **Post date:** [30 September 2026 11:29 UTC](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/t/electric-vs-hydrogen-vs-hybrid-vs-diesel-vs-cng-buses/1762/3 "2026-09-30T11:29:36Z")
If like they have a glitch in the electrical software needed to charge or run the buses ---
**Author:** ![SurfRail](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/user_avatar/forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/surfrail/32/418_2.png) [@SurfRail](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/u/SurfRail)\ **Post date:** [30 September 2026 11:34 UTC](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/t/electric-vs-hydrogen-vs-hybrid-vs-diesel-vs-cng-buses/1762/4 "2026-09-30T11:34:03Z")
This is true of any bus these days. Multiplex control, air-conditioning, doors, transmission - all computer controlled. The traction doesn’t really change the equation. ---
**Author:** ![rowangray](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/user_avatar/forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/rowangray/32/5835_2.png) [@rowangray](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/u/rowangray)\ **Post date:** [30 September 2026 11:37 UTC](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/t/electric-vs-hydrogen-vs-hybrid-vs-diesel-vs-cng-buses/1762/5 "2026-09-30T11:37:59Z")
On the same vein as Surfrail has mentioned above, refueling infrastructure will always be a single point of failure too. In terms of complexity, electric charging infrastructure trades mechanical complexity for electrical complexity. I don’t know enough to make assertive statements, but I can’t think of a reason why electric charging would be any less reliable than diesel refueling. ---
**Author:** ![OzGamer](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/user_avatar/forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/ozgamer/32/261_2.png) [@OzGamer](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/u/OzGamer)\ **Post date:** [30 September 2026 22:47 UTC](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/t/electric-vs-hydrogen-vs-hybrid-vs-diesel-vs-cng-buses/1762/6 "2026-09-30T22:47:12Z")
There is, in fact, less to go wrong in charging, because you’re not dependent on a complex supply chain, just fixed wires. ---
**Author:** ![OzGamer](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/user_avatar/forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/ozgamer/32/261_2.png) [@OzGamer](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/u/OzGamer)\ **Post date:** [30 September 2026 22:48 UTC](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/t/electric-vs-hydrogen-vs-hybrid-vs-diesel-vs-cng-buses/1762/7 "2026-09-30T22:48:31Z")
> [@Busman66](#): > > Diesel buses are excellent for all services, and euro 5 and 6 engines are great for reducing emissions, and don’t require as much infrastructure You didn’t mention the negatives at all: noisy, releasing carcinogenic pollution into people’s faces, dependent on long supply chains from geopolitically volatile regions, and, most importantly, are huge greenhouse gas emitters. ---
**Author:** ![Busman66](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/user_avatar/forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/busman66/32/6599_2.png) [@Busman66](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/u/Busman66)\ **Post date:** [1 October 2026 03:30 UTC](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/t/electric-vs-hydrogen-vs-hybrid-vs-diesel-vs-cng-buses/1762/8 "2026-10-01T03:30:41Z")
While I do a gree that euro 1- euro 3 emissions are not great for reducing emissions, i do think the positives of diesel outweigh the negatives Otherwise, more charter operators would adopt them. ---
**Author:** ![rowangray](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/user_avatar/forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/rowangray/32/5835_2.png) [@rowangray](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/u/rowangray)\ **Post date:** [1 October 2026 03:39 UTC](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/t/electric-vs-hydrogen-vs-hybrid-vs-diesel-vs-cng-buses/1762/9 "2026-10-01T03:39:55Z")
> [@Busman66](#): > > Otherwise, more charter operators would adopt them. Charter operations are a completely different ball-game to route services. A charter company may be doing a school excursion to the city one day and a school camp to woop woop the next. ---
**Author:** ![Electro\_Sykes](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/user_avatar/forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/electro_sykes/32/4018_2.png) [@Electro\_Sykes](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/u/Electro_Sykes)\ **Post date:** [1 October 2026 04:33 UTC](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/t/electric-vs-hydrogen-vs-hybrid-vs-diesel-vs-cng-buses/1762/10 "2026-10-01T04:33:29Z")
We could run buses on bioethanol and liquid fluorine. Bioethanol is renewable, so you’re already cutting down the fossil fuel side of things, and the fluorine is basically there to make the combustion more efficient. Because fluorine reacts more efficiently, you wouldn’t need as much fuel to get the same amount of energy, so you’d have lower emissions overall. Then place a small battery at the back of bus as well, use some regenerative braking, and you’ve got a pretty efficient system. When mixed, this environmentally friendly combination has the potential to reduce emissions by up to 70% compared to its diesel counterparts, so it has some merit behind it. ---
**Author:** ![OzGamer](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/user_avatar/forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/ozgamer/32/261_2.png) [@OzGamer](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/u/OzGamer)\ **Post date:** [1 October 2026 04:37 UTC](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/t/electric-vs-hydrogen-vs-hybrid-vs-diesel-vs-cng-buses/1762/11 "2026-10-01T04:37:57Z")
I am constantly amazed by the complex lengths people will go to to avoid the straightforward solution of just electrifying buses with batteries like the Chinese and others have been doing for years. ---
**Author:** ![Electro\_Sykes](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/user_avatar/forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/electro_sykes/32/4018_2.png) [@Electro\_Sykes](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/u/Electro_Sykes)\ **Post date:** [1 October 2026 05:52 UTC](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/t/electric-vs-hydrogen-vs-hybrid-vs-diesel-vs-cng-buses/1762/12 "2026-10-01T05:52:09Z")
(post deleted by author) ---
**Author:** ![Electro\_Sykes](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/user_avatar/forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/electro_sykes/32/4018_2.png) [@Electro\_Sykes](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/u/Electro_Sykes)\ **Post date:** [1 October 2026 05:56 UTC](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/t/electric-vs-hydrogen-vs-hybrid-vs-diesel-vs-cng-buses/1762/13 "2026-10-01T05:56:09Z")
Creating a new sustainable fuel source from mixing Bioethanol and liquid fluorine is much more simple than it sounds. It’s also the safest option too and is significantly cheaper to run than either electric or diesel buses. I just know this stuff. ---
**Author:** ![ajtransport](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/a8b319/32.png) [@ajtransport](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/u/ajtransport)\ **Post date:** [1 October 2026 12:45 UTC](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/t/electric-vs-hydrogen-vs-hybrid-vs-diesel-vs-cng-buses/1762/14 "2026-10-01T12:45:26Z")
Absolutely! A solution exists, it works really well with higher reliability and lifespans than predicted. That solution has been rolled out at scale around the world. And what’s more here we can leverage our other huge advantage of cheap scalable solar along with it so it could be even cheaper and more effective here than it is in other parts of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Electro\_Sykes](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/user_avatar/forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/electro_sykes/32/4018_2.png) [@Electro\_Sykes](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/u/Electro_Sykes)\ **Post date:** [1 October 2026 22:35 UTC](https://forum.bettertransportqueensland.org/t/electric-vs-hydrogen-vs-hybrid-vs-diesel-vs-cng-buses/1762/15 "2026-10-01T22:35:03Z")
Just use bioethanol mixed with liquid fluorine and call it a day