Western Australia’s first locally manufactured electric bus has begun passenger service, marking a milestone in creating a cleaner public transport network.

The first electric bus will operate on Perth CAT routes in the central business district, with a further 17 CAT electric buses set to enter passenger service by the middle of next year.

“This is a major milestone for our electric bus programme and I am delighted that the community will be able to hop on board the first locally produced zero emission bus,” said Transport Minister Rita Saffioti.

“This is a fantastic scheme that will not only help deliver a cleaner and lower carbon public transport network, but will also help create local manufacturing jobs.”

18 electric buses will be able to use the new charging infrastructure that has been installed at Elizabeth Quay Bus Station.

The State Government recently awarded contracts worth a combined $12 million to local Perth businesses Civcon and Gemtek to upgrade and retrofit the Malaga bus depot to house charging stations for electric buses.

Each electric bus can travel up to 300 km on a single charge and will save around 40 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

Analyses also showed that the operating costs of an electric bus over its 18-year life are about $1 million lower than those of existing diesel buses.

The first locally produced electric bus has been delivered under a joint $250 million state and federal government initiative.

As part of this initiative, 130 new electric buses will be added to the network and infrastructure at a number of depots will be modernised.

The first electric bus is expected to be delivered to Malaga’s depot next year, serving the northern suburbs and the central business district.

Further upgrades are planned at other stations around Perth, including Karrinyup, Whiteman Park and Claisebrook.

The investment in the delivery of a new fleet of electric buses in Western Australia is directly supporting more than 100 local jobs, including nine apprenticeships.

In recent weeks, employees have also undergone specialist high-voltage technical training to prepare them to work with the growing fleet of electric buses.