Canberra public transport commuters have begun a 12 month trial to determine how electric and hybrid buses cope with the demands of the Canberra road network. 

Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris said results will guide future decisions on the replacement of the city’s diesel buses.

The trial is part of the ACT Government’s push towards 100% renewable energy in Canberra by 2020, with a goal of leading national action on climate change while also creating new jobs in so-called ‘sunrise’ industries.

“Recent improvements in battery technology mean that electric buses are becoming more economical and operationally viable, coupled with obvious environmental benefits,” Minister Fitzharris said.

The ACT government has leased one hybrid bus from Volvo and two electric buses from Carbridge. The performance and reliability of the buses will be compared “like for like” with the city’s ACTION diesel buses.

The trial buses will be slightly smaller than current ACTION buses and are expected to be significantly quieter.

The electric buses will recharge overnight at their home depot, Tuggeranong, while the hybrid uses an on-board diesel engine to recharge an electric battery which runs the motor.

They have a range of about 450 kilometres – an ACTION bus does about 350 kilometres per day – and will transmit data live to help evaluate their efficiency.