Brisbane airport has revealed that electric buses will ferry passengers between its domestic and international terminals until at least 2022, under the terms of a AUS$25m contract signed this week.
The five-year contract with Carbridge would include a fleet of 11 electric buses that would come into full operation in February 2018. However, this might be the last five-year deal for such a service, since a tailored monorail system is set to be introduced soon, possibly by 2022.
The Toro buses are powered by BYD batteries and are built with a lightweight aluminium body. Bus interiors are to be designed specifically for passengers: they will feature luggage racks and each bus will boast three full-size double doors, which would make boarding and disembarking more efficient. Usefully, the Toro is capable of running for 600 kilometres on a single charge and makes use of kinetic power regeneration technology to recoup charge as the bus decelerates.
