NSW is going gang busters with depot upgrades to accommodate fast overhead charging for buses.
This is awesome but to be honest from what Iâve seen Iâm not even convinced that fast depot charging is needed except maybe for space constraints.
Some of the electrics are already doing 13+ hours a day on a single charge with normal overnight charging, and there are plenty of opportunities to top up during the day (layover points in between runs, interchange stations, etc) which arenât even being taken advantage of yet.
Before they do fast depot charging using this proprietary hardware Iâd love to see chargers installed at interchanges like Woolloongabba, Chermside, Broadbeach and Maroochydore to allow buses to be topped up while drivers are on break in between runs.
A 30 minute charge can add ~150km of range and chargers get much faster than that. Agree though that we need to take a leaf out of NSWâs book, their ZEB rollout is ridiculously far ahead of ours to a point where itâs embarassing.
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Add the new Griffith layover to that list as well I reckon. Even upstairs at garden City?
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Spotted TMR #0076 which is one of the hydrogen demonstrator units doing a dead run on the Sunshine Coast this morning with a âzero emotion hydrogen busâ message on the desto.
I heard this was going to CDC to trial for school runs, anyone know whether this is still the case?
It didnât have any CDC branding on it and was in the new TransLink livery with big ZEB stickers.
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This unit is at CDC however I donât know how often it does school runs. I have yet to see it do rail. Will keep everyone posted if I see it on rail or more school runs. Also in regards to branding, not all TMRâs are branded i.e. Thompsons, KBL, etc.
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QBIC launches new plan to improve Queensland bus industry QBIC launches new plan to improve Queensland bus industry
The Queensland Bus Industry Council (QBIC) has released a new plan that is set to transform the stateâs bus industry and networks.
The newly released âBetter Buses for Queenslandâ is QBICâs integrated strategic policy document for 2025-2028, incorporating key priorities and establishing a roadmap for the industryâs future.
Is it safe to assume the ZEBP is dead in the water, at least for now?
The reason I ask is Kineticâs brand new Noosa depot is opening tomorrow - but instead of being an all-electric depot from day 1 as originally promised by the local state MP, it will instead be hosting some of the newer diesel MAN units that have been transferred from the Gold Coast.
TMR are also currently taking delivery of some new Volgren bodied buses (being leased to Gold Coast and Ipswich operators), but with Scania K320 diesel engines, not electric.
TMRâs EOI process for 400+ new buses went out in 2024, and their commitment of all new SEQ buses from 2025 being electric was not upheld. The last update to the ZEBP page on the TMR website was also in 2024, so it would appear that itâs been quietly canned, or at least put on hold indefinitely 
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Whatâs the point of electric buses. Iâm sorry but they do not last, especially outside urban areas or even on some of our longer bus routes. I have no problem with diesel buses. Ideally we need Hybrid Buses that are diesel but when in the city or during initial acceleration are on battery power as this saves fuel which lowers operating costs and good for environment still.
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Have you actually got data to back this up or are you just making assumptions?
Because kinetic are successfully using them every day on long routes including Broadbeach to Gold Coast Airport and Maroochydore up to Noosa, often getting up to 15 hours of runtime (the same as a diesel bus) out of them in a shift.
They are proven to be absolutely fine for route work in SEQ.
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Yeah but what about outside of SEQ.
Why would outside of SEQ be worse? Highway/rural driving is far more efficient than the stop start of suburban traffic.
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Do any areas outside SEQ have routes that are longer than 45km? Or require vehicles to be on the road for more than 15h a day? 
Cairns has a few 30-40km routes but Townsville, Rocky, Mackay, Gladstone, etc have tiny routes in comparison to some in SEQ. The only one I can think of is the 760 from Gympie to Rainbow Beach at almost 90km each way but thatâs not normal for an urban bus.
My âadvocacyâ for this rollout is that ZEBs are a better passenger experience in almost every metric. Smooth, quiet, emission free (makes a big difference when idling at a stop) and they donât rattle and vibrate as much. They provide the most train-like experience a bus can possibly provide and theyâre cheaper to run and maintain which saves operators money.
Diesel buses (or even hybrid as you mentioned) have their place for those odd super long routes (or rail replacement) but thatâs about it.
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And even if they were only good for SEQ, how would that be an argument against transitioning the fleet? Itâs a very significant fleet of buses that can move to electric over time.
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CDC has a few regional routes from Rockhampton to Mount Morgan and the Capricorn Coast that vary in length from around 45-70km (440/442/451) but the lower frequency, span of hours and having depots located in both Rockhampton and Yeppoon would probably negate any issues required with charging etc.
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They can still have fast charging stations overhead or plug in at terminating stops. Thatâs what they do in Europe.
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Yet, overhead infrastructure would be the best choice as plug in requires driver interaction which is not the ideal way going forward effectively and safely.
While this is a recent article on electric buses in Victoria, Qld could also adopt more overhead charging solutions.
Australian state opens its first overhead gantry-charged bus depot
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Europe does this very well. We went out to a nice restaurant in whatâs basically an old farmhouse in Switzerland, that happens to have a local town bus running to it.
What was more impressive than the 15 minute frequency was that it had an overhead charger at the terminus stop! A few mins of charging for the driver to have a cigarette and off it went again.
And at the other end of the route, another charger.
Yes, thatâs a HESS Lightram 12, the baby sibling of our Brisbane Metro units. 25 minute route length and roughly 5 minute stop at each end, allows the buses to have tiny batteries and remain lightweight.
Why canât we have more of this in QLD?
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