Queensland to spend $134m on new buses. Most will be diesel

The Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk last week announced a $134 million investment to build 200 new buses in Queensland. But most will be diesel.

The announcement was to highlight investment in local bus manufacturing, but renewable experts were quick to note that only a quarter will be zero emissions, while another unspecified number would meet Euro-Six emissions standards.

“At least a quarter of the buses delivered as part of this procurement will be Zero Emissions Buses which will support the Palaszczuk Government’s commitment that all new buses towards a zero emissions fleet,” Transport Minister Mark Bailey said.

“The procurement will specify that the first buses delivered will meet Euro-Six emissions standards, which run with 83 percent fewer emissions than current diesel buses on our network.”

This means that the majority of the buses – which may not make it to roads until later this decade – will be diesel.

“This is inconsistent with what we know is required to decarbonise transport,” wrote Jake Whitehead, head of policy at the Electric Vehicle Council, in a post on LinkedIn.

“We know there is pressure on operators across the state to decarbonise their fleets. Building up to 150 more diesel buses doesn’t help them or the state to achieve this goal.”

Whitehead highlights that the fumes from diesel buses are carcinogenic and can lead to other health impacts – particularly for the elderly and children.

The Cancer Council noted in 2017 that in Australia diesel engine exhaust is the second most common carcinogen that workers are exposed to, and 130 workers are diagnosed with lung cancer as a result of their exposure each year.

“Diesel buses increase health costs for the state by commuters breathing in their fumes,” Whitehead added.

“We must start to account for these costs in our policy decisions.”

In April a report published by The Australia Institute showed that electric buses make up just 0.2% of the nation’s entire bus fleet – 200 out of 100,000 buses.

Australia’s local bus manufacturing could not yet accommodate the number of electric or hydrogen buses required to quickly decarbonise the transport system, and so governments would likely need to go overseas for purchasing.

Treasurer Cameron Dick noted that the Brisbane City Council’s ‘Brisbane Metro’ project did not use Queensland manufacturing.

“When Brisbane City Council made the decision to build its new Metro bus fleet overseas, Queensland manufacturing workers missed out,” he said.

“The Palaszczuk Labor Government will always support local manufacturers and local workers to ensure automotive manufacturing remains a strong part of Queensland’s diverse economy.”

However, the 60 new metros from the Brisbane City Council will be fully electric.

“Let’s work towards a future where we potentially can have 100% locally made electric buses, but we are not there yet and won’t be for at least 15-20 years – particularly if funding continues to be directed towards building more diesel buses,” says Whitehead.

“We cannot let our current inability to produce enough electric buses locally become a barrier to decarbonising the fleet.”