The last of the 106 promised electric buses has been delivered. Photo: Kyle Hanley, Public Transport Association Canberra (PTCBR), Facebook.
Canberra Liberals leader Mark Parton can now rest easy – the last of the 106 electric buses long promised by the ACT Government has started service.
The final Yutong bus – BUS 901 – was spotted in Wright this week, joining 101 other Yutongs and four Custom Dennings already in the Transport Canberra fleet.
The Public Transport Association of Canberra celebrated the moment on Facebook, noting: “Remember when some of our electric buses said ‘1 of 106 Zero Emission Electric Buses’ on the side? As of today, we have all 106!”
The buses were first promised in May 2023, when a contract for 90 was drawn up and all 106 were expected to be on the road within three years.
Earlier this year, the government copped criticism for signage on the electric buses that read “One of 106” even when the full fleet was yet to arrive.
Then Shadow Transport Minister, Mr Parton described the messaging as a “blatant lie” and a “false message” that confused Canberrans.
“Most sensible people would arrive at the conclusion that the message being transmitted is that this bus, right here, is one of 106 in our fleet. The claim is false. It is false and it should be removed,” he said in April 2024.
“We call upon the government to get serious about its own electrification targets and to stop running buses with propaganda signage, which is untrue.”
One of the four Custom Denning Element buses sporting its signage. Photo: Ian Bushnell.
At the time, there were only 12 electric buses on Canberra’s roads and the four Custom Denning buses that had arrived earlier had removed from the fleet for repairs.
Acting Transport Minister Tara Cheyne defended the government, calling opposition criticism “a stunt” and stressing that delays were due to supply chain issues rather than broken promises.
“The 106 buses is still a commitment, that hasn’t changed. Yes, the delivery [timeframe] has changed – that is frustrating, we’re all frustrated – but it doesn’t mean that we’re not going to do it,” she said.
She also explained the Custom Denning buses were delayed by technical checks.
“Until they do meet our standards, we’re not going to put them on the road.”
The Yutong buses were then under investigation again earlier this year, after reports from Denmark and Norway found they could theoretically be remotely disabled by a kill switch.
“This bus can be stopped or rendered inoperable by the manufacturer,” the report, by Oslo public transport agency Ruter, said.
In response, Yutong said it “strictly complies with the applicable laws, regulations and industry standards” in all countries where it operated and that the buses tested overseas were “not the same model as the Yutong buses operating in Australia”.
Transport Canberra maintains the buses “remain safe to operate”, but investigations are ongoing.
Looking ahead, the ACT Government has committed further funds to expand its zero-emissions fleet.
The 2025-26 Budget includes $37.4 million to deliver 30 new battery-electric buses as part of a plan to transition Canberra’s bus network to zero emissions by 2040.
There is no official timeline yet for when these buses will arrive, however.
