Electric buses are being rolled out to Perth suburban areas for the first time, marking an important milestone in the phase out of diesel buses.
A total of 11 electric buses are now ready to operate out of Transperth’s Malaga depot, with some 90 electric buses expected to be operating from the facility by H1 2026.
Each electric bus has the capability to travel up to 300km on a single charge, saving about 40 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
Transport Minister Rita Saffioti says as part of the expansion, the Malaga depot is undergoing a $12 million upgrade which will see it become the state’s largest EV bus charging facility. The facility will be capable of supporting 110 electric buses.
The upgrades include installing solar panels and batteries to provide power to the facility, as well as the delivery of new charging infrastructure. To date, 16 chargers have been installed at the depot, with the remainder to be installed and commissioned by the end of 2025.
Saffioti says Western Australia has had electric buses operating on the CBD Cat bus routes since September 2024.
“We’ve now delivered on our election commitment to stop the production of diesel buses, and that means the community will start to see more and more electric buses operating on the network,” Saffioti says.
“Not only are electric buses cleaner and better for the environment, they’re also cheaper to operate in the long-term, which means better value for money for Western Australian taxpayers.”
The rollout of more electric buses will ramp up in the coming years, with upgrades planned or underway at the Karrinyup and Claisebrook bus depots and a new EV bus depot being delivered at Bayswater.
In May 2025, the last diesel bus was manufactured in Western Australia and left the Volgren bus manufacturing facility for passenger services. From 21 May, all new buses manufactured for public transport in the state are electric, as Mining.com.au reported.
According to the Electric Vehicle Council, EVs have zero exhaust emissions unlike petrol, diesel, and hybrid vehicles. The emissions from EVs sold today are set to improve over their lifetime as more renewables are introduced to the electricity grid.
EV batteries can also be used after their life in a vehicle, which is expected to be around 15 years. EV batteries can find a second life powering homes, buildings or the electricity grid, and are expected to last around another 10 years in these applications.
In 2024, EV sales exceeded 17 million, reaching a sales share of more than 20%, as reported by the International Energy Agency. In 2025, EV sales are expected to exceed 20 million globally to represent more than one-quarter of cars sold worldwide.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Volgren
