Brisbane has its first new bus depot in 15 years after Lord Mayor Campbell Newman today opened a $56 million facility at Willawong, in Brisbane’s south-west.
The Lord Mayor also unveiled Brisbane City Council’s 1000th active bus, reinforcing its position as Australia’s second largest bus fleet, behind Sydney’s State Transit Authority.
Cr Newman said the Willawong bus depot would provide bus parking, maintenance and refuelling facilities for up to one-fifth (200) of all Brisbane Transport buses.
“This is an important day in the history of Brisbane Transport. Not only do we have the fastest-growing bus network in Australia, covering the largest area, we also now have a facility befitting that massive investment,” he said.
“The last permanent bus depot built in this city was back in 1994 at Garden City, so our facilities have been bulging at the seams as we’ve grown our fleet at an unprecedented rate.
“And today we also welcome the 1000th bus to our fleet, which has been keeping Brisbane moving in record numbers.”
The Lord Mayor put a record 337 new buses on the road during his first term and will add an extra 500 rigid equivalents by the end of his second term in 2012.
There were 719 buses in the fleet when Cr Newman was elected, however Labor’s woeful bus purchase record – in which they purchased just 60 buses in five years in the late 1990s – meant the forced retirement of about 33 buses each year due to old age.
Cr Newman also increased the percentage of air conditioned buses from 35 to 85 per cent.
“This is part of our plan to deliver 125 new buses each year, and the infrastructure required to run them,” he said. Brisbane has over 70 million bus passengers a year, which is substantially more than the Queensland Rail network.”
Buses from the Willawong depot will primarily cater for services operating throughout south west Brisbane with a small number of inner city services.
Cr Newman said the new depot, which had facilities for up to 400 employees, was designed and constructed to high environmental standards.
An integrated water system had the potential to save 22 million litres a year. Stormwater from surrounding wetlands will be used for underground irrigation, while treated roof water will be used to wash down buses and flush toilets.
Other sustainable initiatives included solar reflectivity and shading, passive solar cooling and heating, natural ventilation and sustainable construction material selection.
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