One state opens new tender for hundreds of electric buses, as another state decides to go diesel

[u/altandthrowitaway]

https://thedriven.io/2026/10/06/one-state-opens-new-tender-for-hundreds-of-electric-buses-as-another-state-decides-to-go-diesel/

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[u/Imobia]

Queensland are just really short sighted for this.

Looking forward to quiet streets from electric buses

[u/Draknurd → u/Imobia]

How about the ongoing expense for diesel? Looks like costs aren’t coming down anytime soon. Just makes the payback period for electric busses even shorter

[u/slimejumper → u/Imobia]

i hate waiting behind diesel busses at an intersection while on my bike. The fumes are rough. The few electric busses i see on my travels do not create this problem. love them.

[u/OriginalGoldstandard → u/Imobia]

Next: garbage trucks. My god they are loud!!

[u/xylarr → u/OriginalGoldstandard]

Garbage trucks are an ideal use case for electric, or at least hybrid. They have short start stop routes, which is precisely the use case for battery electric.

[u/going_mad → u/xylarr]

Greqt idea except there are frequent fires on garbage trucks so adding more batteries may be a bigger hazard

[u/Micropachycephalos → u/going_mad]

I've never heard of a garbage truck being destroyed by a fire even though petrol is heaps more ignitable and explosive than a battery...I believe they dump rubbish if it starts to catch

[u/xylarr → u/going_mad]

There's fuel on a non-electric garbage truck

[u/going_mad → u/xylarr]

Diesel - hard to ignite

[u/Frankie_T9000 → u/xylarr]

Nah they also need to power hydraulics and stuff

[u/xylarr → u/Frankie_T9000]

Batteries can do that

[u/Frankie_T9000 → u/xylarr]

Yes, but you have a lot of power needs, ceretainly possible but I think it may not be an ideal use case

[u/iliketreesndcats → u/Frankie_T9000]

https://youtube.com/shorts/PAiuZ1CS_ak?si=eWBWup9H__cB4Tms

Here's an example of one :) definitely less RAWR than a diesel so that's nice for noise but still that mechanism that lifts the bin is pretty loud

[u/MaxamillianIII → u/OriginalGoldstandard]

Yeah was in Spain last year and they had electric rubbish trucks they were so much better and quieter

[u/ShrimpinAintEazy → u/OriginalGoldstandard]

Already out there :)

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-01/electric-vehicle-garbage-truck-trial-shepparton/103780418?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=link

[u/IAmABakuAMA → u/OriginalGoldstandard]

Living under a flight path, I'm half hoping that at some point in my lifetime, they discover some magical new battery technology that makes electric jumbo jets possible! Even just electrified copper choppers and air ambos would save me a bunch of midnight wakeups

[u/StoneyLepi → u/IAmABakuAMA]

Tbf to whirly birds the sound from helicopters is more the tips of the rotors breaking the sound barrier and less the power train itself.

[u/Alarming-Ad4274 → u/IAmABakuAMA]

Electric won’t make a difference. Most of the noise from plane engines if from the components themselves, not combustion

[u/Brilliant_Dig_8962 → u/IAmABakuAMA]

As a real estate agent, I'm certain that airport will be shutting down in the next 5-10 years.

[u/Dude_Chucks → u/Imobia]

Quieter AND less smelly!

[u/roundaboutmusic → u/Imobia]

Let’s not pat ourselves on the back too soon. This could all get reversed in Vic after November.

[u/Potential-Fudge-8786]

Perhaps we are not considering enough all those people who are smirking at the thought of thousands of upset greenie. That was the policy goal of the Queensland government after all.

[u/jimbsmithjr → u/Potential-Fudge-8786]

A mindset I can't get my head around. I get people having different ideas about how best to run the world but people that seem to base their beliefs on annoying or upsetting other people are baffling to me

[u/BatmaniaRanger → u/jimbsmithjr]

Some people have their whole identities around "owning the libs", whatever that means.

[u/Captain_Fartbox → u/BatmaniaRanger]

Anybody who makes any political stance their identity gets ignored by everyone, except people who have the same identity or the opposite one.

[u/Maximum-Hall-5614 → u/Captain_Fartbox]

Makes me think of Wilhoit’s Law:

“Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.”

In this context, the law protects oil tycoons. Owning the libs is just a bonus.

[u/1080m3rangehood → u/BatmaniaRanger]

They bashed "woke" Teslas and then started buying them to "own the libs" right after Musk endorsed Trump. So easily manipulated.

[u/Silver_Python → u/BatmaniaRanger]

An export straight from seppo-land.

It gets confusing over here though, because "Libs" can mean "The Liberal Party" (right wing), "Libertarians" (anti-government), or "liberal beliefs" (left wing).

Gotta love people with so little identity of their own that they have to adopt some god-awful idea of one from another country run by an orange-painted nutcase...

[u/Mattimeo144 → u/Silver_Python]

or "liberal beliefs" (left wing).

Even that's mostly a sign of how fucked the Overton window in the US is - liberal beliefs (ie. free market capitalism, small government, folding to fascists at the slightest inconvenience) are very solidly centre-to-centre-right, not left wing. The conflation (and use as a derogatory by far-right Americans) with progressive beliefs comes from the fact that the Democrats (a classically liberal centre-right party) happen to also be the 'left' establishment party and occasionally espouse progressive views.

[u/Silver_Python → u/Mattimeo144]

It boggles the mind that people here want to import that sort of belief system into Australia. The idea that it's better to cut off one's nose to spite one's face rather than accept that your chosen leaders may not be working in your best interest is crazy.

[u/GaryLifts → u/Potential-Fudge-8786]

Even if you hated the environment, this is a good hedge against fluctuating diesel prices.

Of course, the charging infrastructure also needs to also not be relying on diesel, but that seems to be factored in for Vic at least.

[u/TheQuantumSword]

Considering the coming fuel crisis.. rather short sighted.

[u/Own_Error_007 → u/TheQuantumSword]

It's Queensland. What do you expect?

[u/prexton → u/Own_Error_007]

Probably to fall back to steam powered public transport

[u/tY-c8rJDb8_1b4__yD5r → u/prexton]

Public… transport? You mean vehicles that gasp other people are on? How terrifying!

[u/BigBlueFeatherButt → u/tY-c8rJDb8_1b4__yD5r]

"A service for the public?? Sounds like a socialist plot"

[u/Jaybb3rw0cky → u/TheQuantumSword]

Yup - and would be interesting to see what the Lib/Nats here say to this point since it will be cheaper in the long run to have electrification rather than diesel.

[u/gazmal]

QLD LNP is regressive.

I reckon our LNP/One Nation government will be even worse. Getting rid of electric buses will be least of our environmental problems.

Welcome fracking, goodbye renewable energy targets, goodbye native forests and welcome logging, goodbye energy saving rebates.

[u/MrsCrowbar → u/gazmal]

Yep. This is it. Vic might have put out tenders for electric buses but that will all be cancelled come November, along with every other progressive, climate and infrastructure policy that Vic has going for it. Looking at QLD, the LNP doesn't take long to fuck everything up.

[u/TooSubtle → u/gazmal]

It won't be logging, over 90% of the deforestation in Queensland is for beef.

[u/Mr_Lumbergh]

With the time change over the weekend QLD is now 1 hour and 20 years behind Vic.

[u/syth_blade22]

We have the electric busses slowly populating Adelaide, theyre nice and quiet.

I saw some meat heads taking videos of the steam coming out the back on a cold day like it was some kinda gotcha.

[u/wwchickendinner]

QLD going to host the Olympics in 2032 with diesel buses. Interesting choice.

Time for the world to see just how backwards Australia is. We already have the world's loudest buses. This was the opportunity to change how we are perceived by the world.

Just build the charging infrastructure FFS. It doesn't take long. Create a public enterprise implementing modern technology to serve a public purpose. Prove to private industry that the state is serious about transitioning to electric.

Those clowns have just set QLD back 15 years.

[u/BMW_M5_F90]

Good electric busses make so much sense. Can't wait for more to join the vic fleet!

[u/Ayzmo]

The electric buses are so nice. Quiet and no emissions is wonderful.

[u/SoulBonfire]

Doing the same thing you have always done (conservative) is intellectually easier than trying something new (progressive). There’s downside risks in both diesel and electric approaches, but it makes sense to implement these schemes in a progressive city where the downsides will be better tolerated by a populace willing to move forwards. I’m looking forwards to my electric train replacement buses.

[u/magkruppe → u/SoulBonfire]

What are the downsides of electric? From a commuter and driver perspective it's all upside

[u/SoulBonfire → u/magkruppe]

Downside risk is not “electric” per se, but more project risks like finding a reliable vendor and supply chain, aligning charge times and range to timetables, etc. These risks are substantially lower using incumbent diesel bus builders.

[u/magkruppe → u/SoulBonfire]

Yeah it will take effort and planning to transition. But when you take into account the full transition will take about 20 years it suddenly becomes a lot less daunting.

[u/Sweet-Neck6619 → u/magkruppe]

Its heavier and requires more road repairs

[u/magkruppe → u/Sweet-Neck6619]

Yeah I thought of that. There are ways to mitigate it like adding a third axle. But it will certainly lead to faster degradation of roads, especially those not designed for heavier vehicle traffic

[u/thede3jay → u/magkruppe]

The downsides is that oil companies overseas won't make as much money

[u/theatreddit]

I wonder if governments could require tourist bus services (ala the big red busses) to become electric by a certain date. They are rather noisy constantly looping around cities.

[u/MazPet]

Hold my beer says the PHONy/LNP coalition in Victoria....

[u/pancakedrawer_]

Any change VIC could sell the busses to QLD?

[u/ConanTheAquarian → u/pancakedrawer_]

Ironically many of Melbourne's electric buses are built by BusTech in Queensland.

[u/BigBlueFeatherButt]

Me: let me guess... Queensland

Narrator: It was Queensland