More e-buses from Kinetic for Canterbury

At least 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.

NZ bus operator Kinetic will introduce the 10 electric buses across some local routes, to replace older diesel buses and further reduce 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 NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to help decarbonise the urban Metro fleet.

The additional 10 e-buses will see Kinetic grow its city fleet to 51 battery electric vehicles (BEVs), which represents more than 25% 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 Christchurch alone have saved over two million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

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

Kinetic has about 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 1000 this year with operations also in Australia, the UK, Europe and Singapore.