West Auckland to launch electric double-decker buses in April
The nine-year contract will see the public transport operator Tranzit Group bring more than 40 new electric buses to the streets of Tāmaki Makaurau, operating under its Tranzurban Auckland brand on the key WX1, 11T/11W and 120 bus routes. More than half of these will be electric double-decker buses.
As part of the electrification efforts, Tranzurban Auckland has committed to recruiting an additional 90 drivers and wants to construct a new bus charging depot near Westgate, equipped with 3-megawatt charging capacity for the electric buses. It will be Tranzurban Auckland’s second bus depot.
“Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen fantastic growth on this frequent bus route which connects Westgate with the city centre, carrying more than 275,000 passengers so far,” said AT’s Director of Public Transport and Active Modes Stacey van der Putten. She then explained why the increased capacity is needed: “In recent months we’ve also seen more people using buses in all parts of West Auckland than before Covid-19. In the Westgate/Massey area patronage is about 25% higher and in Te Atatū it is about 30% higher. With a dedicated fleet of electric double-decker buses running the WX1 from next April, we’re looking forward to bringing improvements in reliability and comfort for our customers.”
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