Zero Emission Bus trial prompts driver to delay retirement
After spending more than a quarter of a century behind the wheel of diesel vehicles, school bus driver Graeme Crossingham delayed his retirement to try out one of the battery electric buses that were recently introduced to Queanbeyan.
Queanbeyan is one of the trial sites for Transport for NSW’s $25 million Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) project to trial battery electric buses in various regional locations across the state.
Mr Crossingham works for CDC Canberra at its Queanbeyan depot and was close to retirement when three electric buses were introduced into the Queanbeyan region in Term 4 last year as part of Transport’s ZEB project.
"I was ready to retire, but when they told me an electric bus was coming in, I thought, why not give it a go?" he said.
Six months later, Mr Crossingham has notched up roughly 14,000 kilometres driving on the Sutton Public School run in one of the bright blue ZEBs.
Now, at 74, he’s hanging up his bus keys today and has plans to travel around Australia, but he’s pleased his delayed departure gave him the chance to drive a ZEB.
He said the transition to an electric bus was a surprise, but one he quickly embraced.
"It’s quiet, smooth and different, in a good way," he said. "The kids love it and so do I. I prefer it to the older buses. It’s much simpler."
As part of Transport for NSW’s ZEB trial, CDC is operating two 57-seat and one 28-seat battery electric buses on school bus runs to 15 schools in NSW and the ACT.
Transport for NSW Director Project Development Richard Skoda said it was great to see drivers such as Mr Crossingham enjoying driving a ZEB as part of the trial.
“The experience of passengers, who have experienced the ZEBs will also be a valuable part of our trials of these battery electric buses.
“We need to analyse how zero-emission buses perform in real-world conditions to help us plan the transition of the state’s regional bus fleet to zero emissions by 2047.”
Mr Crossingham said he is glad to have finished his working life driving the quiet and comfortable electric buses, after a long career as a bus driver which started in the early 1990s, at first as a contractor with his own vehicle and later as a CDC employee.
He said he has been driving so long on the same school bus route that he is now driving the next generation of children, and this connection with the community is what has kept him behind the wheel for so long.
"I thought I’d be done, but I kept going. I really enjoy the people, and the children are fantastic. It renews your faith in the new generation.”
More information on the Zero Emission Bus trial can be found at www.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects/programs/zero-emission-buses