AUSTRALASIAN BUS & COACH – ABC, Sean Mortell, MARCH 22, 2024
Under the GoZero Group, Nexport has been named as a preferred bus supplier under Panel 4 in NSW.
Image: GoZero Group
Australian zero-emissions commercial transport company GoZero has confirmed that its fully owned subsidiary Nexport has been appointed as a preferred supplier of buses for Transport for NSW (TfNSW).
Under the terms of the new Bus Panel 4, which is the new bus procurement panel introduced for NSW on March 1, operators of public bus routes can now procure new buses from suppliers like Nexport that are on the panel.
GoZero Group executive chairman Stephen Cartwright says the company applauds the NSW government’s commitment to supporting local manufacturers throughout the bus building process and its zero-emissions bus program.
“We are delighted to be working with TfNSW as a preferred supplier to Bus Panel 4 to deliver zero-emissions buses (ZEBs) for the NSW public transport network and the people of NSW,” Cartwright told ABC.
“For every one bus we build in Australia, five Australian jobs are retained. Having a strong pipeline of bus sales is key to the sustainability of local bus manufacturing and the renewal of the public transport fleet that carries over 40 per cent of public transport passengers. It’s also critical to our ability to continue to invest in the development of GoZero’s existing local manufacturing footprint as well as in new manufacturing sites providing valuable employment and growing critical skills capability in this country.
“We look forward to tendering for the next round of ZEBs with GoZero being very well-placed to deliver the latest technology and proven manufacturing and assembly technology from within New South Wales.”
Under these NSW programs, the state government is looking to progressively introduce a 50 per cent local content target for new electric buses, with around 1,700 ZEBs planned to be on Greater Sydney roads by 2028.
Cartwright says Nexport was chosen by TfNSW based on the historic performance of its fleet of more than 60 ZEBs currently operating in Central and Western Sydney as well its ongoing commitment to deliver safe and reliable ZEBs from its facility in Glendenning, Western Sydney.
GoZero is currently assessing sites across NSW to scale up its manufacturing and assembly capacity to match the expected growing demand as the transition from diesel buses to ZEBs quickens.
The NSW government has forecast that ZEBs can save up to $2 billion in environmental and health costs compared to operating diesel buses for the next 30 years. Cartwright says GoZero Group intends to be instrumental in supporting the government to deliver these savings and benefits.
