Volvo Buses’ Post

Transcript

In 2032, Brisbane will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games. They're set on making this the first ever contractual climate positive Olympics and public transport will play a key role in that sustainability race. Time to explore Brisbane and see what they must do to succeed. Here in Brisbane, 2.5 million people are living the good life. A life that's so good, apparently more people want to experience it a lot more. Within the next 8 years, the city's population is estimated to grow by half a million. All of them will benefit from Brisbane's 2032 gold because it means emissions must drop to be low. Or rather. Way down low in order to be climate positive. So it's a Sprint to the finish line and it's already started. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait wait. Oh, thanks. Hi Tony, sorry for being late. No worries. Steph gave me a chance to enjoy this smooth electric bus ride. OK, so if we back up to the beginning, I know you've done some heavy modeling on what Brisbane has to do to achieve a climate positive Olympics. So is this even possible? The good news is yes, absolutely it is. 80% of the venues that are needed for the Olympic Games are actually already existing. So that gives Brisbane a real head start in terms of emissions and cost reductions. So how are you going to make it happen? Basically, there's two different ways that you can reduce. The first is through offsetting carbon that you produce, the residual emissions. And the 2nd way to do it is obviously to decarbonise, to invest in renewable energy infrastructure to really reduce your emissions in the 1st place. So is carbon offsetting, is that really about maybe all the flight traffic coming into Australia, that kind of thing? Exactly. You can't achieve climate positive Olympic Games without carbon offsets. But I've scored that against the sustainability criteria. And while carbon offsets are cheaper and actually. Easier to implement compared with deeper decarbonization. The sustainability environment is poorer. So really what we're looking for is an investment in decarbonisation to achieve climate positive Olympics. And this is where public transport comes in there. Yeah, developing sustainable transport and renewable energy are two solutions that will have a really big impact. And I think public transport is one thing that will have a really lasting legacy for the city beyond just hosting the Olympic Games. A lot needs to happen. There's three main stops that we need to explore to get your answers. New infrastructure, renewable energy and the public. Getting people on board. Getting people taking a bus. Alright then, let's do just that. Explore. Let's stop new infrastructure. Stephanie. The Games organizers are hoping that 90% of all the spectators and athletes will take some form of public transportation to get around. That's gonna need a really big investment for the city. So imagine then that accessible bike lanes are all part of that. Yes, bikes are a part of it, but also the ferries. And walking, obviously, yeah, that's why this green bridges are really great. We've got a couple of these already existing here in Brisbane and a couple more being planned. And they're really great connection to other forms of public transportation as well. So is this what you call them, multimodal transportation? Yeah. And the great thing is it means more connections and more choices for everyone. So Brisbane then obviously has many other developments in the works. Talk a little bit about those. Yeah. So now we have the Brisbane Metro. For transit system, which will have services that operate so frequently you won't even need a timetable, and then that'll connect into the Cross River Rail underground train system, which will mean it's easier for all commuters around Brisbane city to get around. I think what we're all hoping for is that the legacy of these games is obviously an environmental sustainability legacy, but beyond that we're hoping that we achieve some well-being outcomes as well. So what role then will energy play in all this? Yeah, well, look, the source of energy for any sustainable public transportation system is a really important factor. We obviously are moving towards electrified transport and so for that to happen, we need a lot more renewable energy. Next stop, renewable energy worldwide. Many operators are transitioning to electric buses, but the true environmental impact of this transition will of course depend on whether they get ahold of clean energy or not. One operator who has made these investments is Keolis Downer. This is their all electric depot here in Brisbane. Hi Chris, good to see you. Hi, welcome to Chillis Down in Brisbane. The transition from a diesel depot, a diesel yard to a fully electric yard has been a fantastic, challenging and rewarding journey. The buses, they're smooth, they're quiet, they're green, which I think is they're, they're the number one point of of the entire project. Our drivers really enjoy driving them, passengers enjoy being on them and they're community enjoys having them around. And so then to deliver a truly 0 emission transport. We need more renewable energy in the system right 100% and the Queensland Government is fully committed to transitioning to green energy. So here within Australia we have sunny skies. Those days, but maybe not today so solar is a huge part of this transition Australia is already harvesting more and more golden energy all over the country and especially in the Brisbane suburbs this is a common sight homes with solar panels and outside of Brisbane, western downs green power hub is Australia's biggest solar farm so more and more clean energy is becoming available for keolis, downer and all of Brisbane which leads us to our. Final stop. The public. So the public then, Tony, what do you want to say about that? So, yeah, the Olympics represents a once in a generation opportunity to reset the city's relationship with public transport. I think during the Olympics itself, spectators, the public will be using public transport to get around. No problem. But my real concern is, yeah, after the Olympics are over, how can we make those behavioral changes stick to really create that legacy of public transport use in the city? And I guess the key is really to start already today. Absolutely, that's a great plan. O Let's see what the public thinks of Tony's plan. So, Lester, have you ever ridden an electric bus? No, you haven't. Would you be interested in doing that? No. What do you think about electric buses? Any comments? Good for the environment. Quiet. Do you usually ride the bus? No, I think they run nice and quiet and very smooth. So this is the Volvo electric bus? What do you think? We live along here and there's restaurants along here. It's not really nice when a bus sort of pulls up and you're trying to eat and have a nice meal and there's fumes and whatnot coming off while you're trying to sit there and be happy. So an electric bus would probably fix some of those problems as well. Just looking at them, driving around, they, they certainly sound very quiet. We need to be able to get people to where they need to go and do it in the best possible way we can. And I think it's really, really important for Brisbane to be able to do that. Yeah, no, it's the way of the future. Let me show you. So what have we learned here today? That it literally takes a village to create change and that a tight deadline is the shortcut to getting everyone involved and invested. Time for me to start practicing if I'm going to make the Olympic cricket team. See you in the next episode. Yes.