Auckland Transport achieves largest zero-emission bus fleet in New Zealand

Credit: Auckland Transport

Auckland Transport (AT) has announced that it has introduced 133 zero-emission buses into its fleet, positioning itself as a leading city in New Zealand and one of the top two in Australasia in terms of zero-emission bus adoption.

The most recent development in AT’s efforts toward a zero-emission future is the publication of the Low Emission Bus Roadmap for Auckland. This roadmap details the comprehensive strategy for transitioning the entire Auckland bus fleet to low-emission vehicles, with the ultimate objective of achieving a fully zero-emission fleet by 2035.

Edward Wright, AT’s Manager of Metro Specifications, highlighted the alignment of this transition goal with the government’s 2035 target: “This allows for a more rapid transition than the originally targeted 2040, while mitigating some of the risks and challenges introduced by targeting 2030.”

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Since the establishment of The Roadmap, AT has conducted several trials with zero-emission buses. All trials to date have delivered positive results in service reliability, customer experience and operational savings.  

As Auckland Transport takes determined steps to reduce its emissions footprint, it has been disclosed that the bus fleet is responsible for a substantial 79% of the organisation’s emissions, emitting 75,530 tonnes of CO2 emissions during the 2021-2022 fiscal year. This underscores the significant importance of transitioning the bus fleet to zero-emission vehicles in line with Auckland’s sustainability objectives and the national goal of a zero-carbon future by 2050.

Auckland’s Mission Electric initiative has achieved notable milestones, including the successful transition of half of Waiheke’s bus fleet to electric power, an accelerated plan to procure only zero-emission buses from 2025 and the operation of fully electric fleets on specific routes. Furthermore, the city continues to explore innovative solutions, such as the trial of New Zealand’s sole hydrogen fuel cell bus.