Queanbeyan and Deniliquin are two regional NSW towns included in a trial of electric school buses. Photo: Claire Sams.
If you’ve ridden in an electric bus like this one on your way to school over the past 18 months, then you have been part of a NSW trial.
Transport for NSW (TfNSW) has released data about the trial targeting five areas of the state.
The buses were launched 18 months ago in Tweed and Armidale, and a year ago in Narrabri, Queanbeyan, and Deniliquin.
To date, the 12 new electric buses in the trial have operated across 1627 bus days and covered more than 300,000 kilometres.
Each vehicle has travelled an average of around 200 km per day, according to TfNSW.
VDI Australia supplied three electric buses for the trial when it began in southeast NSW in October 2024.
ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia (CDC) was contracted by TfNSW to operate the buses.
Since then, they have completed more than 30,000 passenger journeys between October 2024 and September 2025.
They travelled 128,000 km, servicing 15 schools in southeast NSW and the ACT.
Further west, three electric buses also drove around the Riverina region, operated by Dysons.
The Deniliquin and Moama buses completed more than 13,500 passenger journeys and travelled 38,000 km while servicing 12 schools in NSW and Victoria over the same period.
Hundreds of NSW students have been hitting the road in a new kind of school bus during the trial. Photo: Claire Sams.
The new electric buses are being tested across the five locations to compare how they perform in varied climates, terrain and road conditions.
A TfNSW spokesperson also confirmed the buses would power through until at least the end of term one 2026.
(This will keep the Armidale and the Tweed buses on the roads until the end of the Queanbeyan, Deniliquin/Moama and Narrabri trials.)
“This extension allows Transport for NSW to assess options for permanent electric bus implementation while continuing to collect data to inform the future of sustainable public transport in NSW,” they said.
“When this period ends, Transport will do a full analysis of the trials before determining next steps.”
The trial has given more information around regenerative braking (when the buses recover energy while slowing down or travelling downhill), while early findings indicate that unsealed roads have little to no impact on the buses’ energy efficiency.
TfNSW executive director of public transport Andrew Milne said the future of electric vehicles went beyond the major cities.
“We are cautiously optimistic about these results and confident continuing the trial will deliver valuable insights into how these vehicles perform in regional conditions including their energy use, passenger uptake, fuel cost savings, and emissions reductions.
“The new bus technology roll-out is a major step towards a more sustainable public transport system. We’re proud to say that NSW is leading the way toward a net-zero future, and we want to celebrate the progress made in building a better tomorrow for everyone.”
He also said the trial was helping TfNSW to identify which technologies would work best for people in regional and remote areas.
“The transport industry accounts for around 25 per cent of global CO₂ emissions and by shifting more journeys to electric modes, everyone can do their part to help safeguard the health of the planet.”
The regional trials are part of TfNSW’s Zero Emission Buses Program, which is transitioning more than 8000 diesel and compressed natural gas buses to more sustainable technology.
Mr Milne encouraged pedestrians to be alert around the buses, which can be much quieter than traditional buses.
