Metlink boosts electric fleet with 16 new zero-emission buses

Greater Wellington has added 16 new electric buses to the Metlink fleet, as the region steps closer towards fully electrifying its core bus routes by 2030.

Owned by Metlink operator Kinetic, the new zero-emission buses will replace 10 older diesel models that were temporarily introduced to increase service frequency. The additions bring the number of electric buses in the Metlink fleet to 119, accounting for 25% of all buses.

Greater Wellington transport chair Thomas Nash says the new buses marked another step towards achieving the council’s carbon reduction goals.

“The aim is for all 16 buses to be in service by the end of April, making a noticeable difference to noise and pollution, as we continue to drive down our carbon emissions and work towards the electrification of all core bus routes by 2030,” Nash says.

“The introduction of the new buses means bus services such as the number 4 will be almost completely electric, like route 2 from Karori to Miramar and Seatoun, which was electrified in February 2022.”

Route 4, introduced in January 2024, has become one of Metlink’s busiest services, carrying more than 1.4 million passengers in its first year. The route connects key locations across Wellington’s CBD, including Wellington Hospital.

“About one third of the kilometers travelled by Metlink buses are now powered by electricity instead of fossil fuels and this has been a major factor in the increase of air quality on central city streets like Manners, Willis and Lambton Quay, where noxious fumes have dropped markedly in the last couple of years,” Nash says.

“Despite serious government funding constraints, we just hit another all-time high with 2.6 million bus trips in March, up 2.6% from March 2024, with bus reliability at 99.7% for the month.

“Upgrading our fleet ensures we maintain this high level of service while increasing frequency and capacity.”

Metlink group manager Samantha Gain said the new buses arrived in time for the latest planned timetable changes.

“Bus timetables are adjusted four times a year, aligning with the school term and university trimesters. We regularly analyse patronage data to refine services and ensure we’re meeting our passenger’s needs,” Gain said.

Changes effective from 27 April include:

• Route 12e changing to the 38x, becoming the first express service from Kilbirnie to the CBD.
• After Midnight services N2 and N3 replaced by route 2 Miramar to Karori services at midnight, 1am, 2am and 5am.
• Weekend route 18 services discontinued, with weekday timetable adjustments to better suit Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington students.
• Saturday services on route 4 will run every 20 minutes between 8am and 3pm to replace route 18 services.