<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/26/australia-electric-buses-transition-from-diesel-fuel-crisis>
"As diesel climbs past $3 a litre amid fuel security concerns, transport
advocates are calling for the rollout of electric buses across Australia to be
prioritised.
In Australia, just 1% of buses are electric, compared with 80% of the urban
fleet in China, a quarter in the Netherlands and 12% in the UK.
Metro trams and trains mostly run on electricity, while buses – a core part of
Australia’s public transport system – remain highly dependent on diesel,
consuming about 530m litres a year.
Industry body the Bus Industry Confederation wants buses to be prioritised in
fuel security planning.
“Buses carry more than half of Australia’s public transport passengers,” the
confederation’s executive director, Varenya Mohan‑Ram, said. “Fuel security is
not just an operational matter. It is a matter of social equity and community
resilience.
“We’re taking kids to school, we’re getting people to work.
“We are the lifeblood of regional Australia, in terms of keeping people
connected.
“We just don’t have enough electric buses to carry Australians every day.”
In Australia, nearly 42,800 diesel buses were registered in 2025, compared with
629 that were battery electric – about 1% of the heavy bus fleet – according to
government data.
Most states and territories have targets to transition their fleets. Canberra
and greater Sydney will be fully electric by 2040. E-buses already make up
about 24% of the ACT’s fleet.
The ACT transport minister, Chris Steel, said: “Each electric bus is powered by
100% renewable electricity produced in Australia, they are cheaper to operate
and not reliant on foreign fuels.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
