New electrification lead as Kinetic reaches bus milestone

• New Zealand’s Kayne Baas appointed new EGM of Electrification at Kinetic
• The role will be instrumental as Kinetic advances decarbonisation efforts across Australia and New Zealand
• Kinetic operates over 300 electric buses across 10 depots in Australasia

Australasia’s largest owner and operator of zero-emission buses, Kinetic, has announced the internal appointment of Kayne Baas as the new Executive General Manager of Electrification to oversee its Zero Emissions program.

The strategic move comes as Kinetic celebrates reaching a milestone 300 electric buses in its fleet across Australia and New Zealand, as the company this month welcomes the latest tranche of zero emission vehicles into Auckland.

Kayne brings over 28 years of expertise in the bus industry to his new role. As Kinetic’s procurement lead in New Zealand, his extensive experience, particularly in electrification, will be instrumental as Kinetic advances its commitment to decarbonisation.

Kinetic is targeting a 100 per cent zero-emission bus fleet by 2035, and the company has already made significant progress on its net-zero journey.

The company was a first mover in introducing electric buses to its fleet in New Zealand and now operates a growing fleet of over 240 electric buses in partnership with leading councils in Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington and Tauranga.

In Australia, Kinetic is also introducing electric buses with state governments in Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. In Melbourne, Kinetic is more than half-way through introducing 36 electric buses – a program recognised with a Premier’s Sustainability Award win.

Kinetic’s growing electric bus fleet in Australasia is powered by 10 electric depots including the region’s largest in New Lynn in Auckland’s west – one of four depots in the city powering over 100 electric buses operated by Kinetic.

Just last month, Kinetic unveiled a newly upgraded depot in Far North Queensland, a site helping to power Australia’s regional transport infrastructure to zero-emissions.

Kinetic CEO Michael Sewards says he was delighted to recognise the leadership and expertise within Kinetic’s New Zealand team with the appointment.

“This is a pivotal and exciting moment for Kinetic as we accelerate our efforts towards a sustainable future – and Kayne is among the industry’s most knowledgeable leaders with a clear track record successfully transitioning bus networks,” Mr Sewards said.

“We’ve got to prioritise the most effective technology while keeping service delivery and cost front of mind – and through our progress to date in Australasia and also in the UK, this is an area we’ve made a lot of mistakes but also developed significant experience and IP.”

Kayne said he was excited to commence in his new role and lead Kinetic's electrification efforts.

"I am excited to crack on with the task at hand, working closely with our leadership teams across Australia and New Zealand to achieve our goals and aspirations in transitioning our operations to zero emissions,” Mr Baas said.

To discover more about Kinetic’s zero-emissions journey visit wearekinetic.com/sustainability/zero-emissions. 

Further enquiries
Barrett Gibson
Head of Marketing & Communication
(+61) 424 647 488
barrett.gibson@wearekinetic.com