Kinetic named finalist in Victorian Premier’s Sustainability Awards
Kinetic has been named a finalist in the prestigious Victorian Premier’s Award for its leadership completing electrification and infrastructure upgrades at two key depots to power the city’s growing battery electric bus fleet.
The transformation project, delivered in partnership with the Victorian Government, is helping to deliver a cleaner, greener bus network for Victorians and support the state’s target to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
Kinetic operates a third of Melbourne’s public bus network after it was selected by the Victorian Government to operate the Metropolitan Bus Franchise in 2021.
The company is at the halfway point in delivering 36 new battery electric buses into Melbourne by mid-2025. Hybrid-electric buses are also being introduced to some of the city’s longer orbital routes.
Collectively, the low and zero emission vehicles are expected to deliver a substantial 45% reduction in CO2 emissions over the 9.5 year franchise term.
The upgraded Sunshine West and Heatherton depots include new undercover bays to provide weather protection and charging infrastructure installed to support what is the largest zero emission bus fleet of any Victorian bus operator.
The facilities feature renewable energy technology with a 400 solar panel array equating to approximately 200kW to reduce their carbon footprint. Electricity to power the buses is supplied by 100% renewable sources.
Michael Sewards, Co-CEO, Kinetic said being named a finalist was recognition of Kinetic’s commitment to using its influence and partnerships to address climate change.
“Transport operators have a responsibility to avoid and reduce our negative impacts—and the benefits of transitioning to zero emission buses are obvious. Every zero-emission bus replaces a diesel counterpart, making a real and immediate impact on passengers, communities and the environment,” Mr Sewards said.
“It is a testament to our teams across Australia and New Zealand, the strength of our partnerships, and our unyielding shareholder backing, that we are now proudly at the wheel of the most expansive electric bus network in the region.
“This is something that excites and motivates us daily to continue to innovate and drive change—and when it comes to the decarbonisation of transport, we’re ready for both steady progression and, when needed, swift acceleration.”
Kinetic currently has 250 battery electric buses and 10 electric depots across Australia and New Zealand and aims to have an entirely electric fleet by 2035. Globally, including its UK subsidiary Go-Ahead, the company is expecting to operate 1,000 electric buses this year.
In Melbourne, the 18 electric buses are in service across 16 metropolitan routes and have already collectively travelled more than 800,000 kilometres—this equates to approximately 880 tonnes of C02 emissions being displaced.
The transition to zero-emission buses carries dual benefits: not only do they reduce polluting emissions by replacing diesel counterparts, but they also contribute to taking approximately 50 cars off the road for every full bus in operation.
“If we want to encourage people out of cars and onto the bus, we’ve got to give them a reason. The vastly improved passenger experience on an electric bus is a big step in the right direction,” Mr Sewards said.
Winners for the Victorian Premier’s Sustainability Awards will be announced at an awards ceremony on November 23 in Melbourne.
For more information visit https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/psa-2023-finalists.
Further enquiries
Barrett Gibson
GM - Marketing & Communications
0424 647 488
barrettg@wearekinetic.com