The 1,000th Transperth bus built by Volvo Australia was delivered to the Public Transport Authority (PTA) today, marking 10 years of association with the company.
Assembled at manufacturing partner Volgren’s Malaga factory, the Euro 6 (an emission rating), diesel Volvo B8RLE will be rolled out on the Transperth bus network later this week.
PTA’s association with Volvo Australia goes back to 2010, when the company was awarded the contract to deliver 912 buses, all of which were built locally at Volgren using Volvo designs and chassis.
The second $549 million contract with Volvo involves up to 900 additional buses delivered between 2019 and 2029, including four high-tech battery-electric vehicles which will be trialled on the Joondalup CAT service from 2022.
In partnership with local manufacturer Volgren, Volvo will deliver eight new buses a month for the next decade under the milestone agreement.
The bus chassis will be built at Volvo’s headquarters in Sweden, before being delivered to Volgren. The local manufacturer will then build the bus body and fit-out the vehicles to be ready for service.
The contract secures the jobs of 81 local Volgren employees, and a further 80 throughout the local supply chain. Under the new contract, Volgren also plan on increasing local fabrication and securing a local sub component manufacturer.
As stated by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
“The partnership between the PTA, Volvo Australia and Volgren is a perfect example of how government can support both local and international business investment, creating high-quality products locally, while also creating jobs and opportunities.
“Transperth buses are comfortable, environmentally-friendly and a great way to get around our growing city.
“With a number of METRONET projects in delivery, bus services provide an important link between new railway lines and people’s homes and workplaces.
“And with the new Joondalup electric CAT trial set to begin in early 2022, I look forward to seeing how these buses – which will be a first for Volvo – will move Transperth services into the future by using sustainable technologies.”
