Volvo Buses

Australia

50th Anniversary comes to a close for Volvo Bus Australia

After marking 50 years in Australia in 2021, Volvo Bus reflects on the past year and key business achievements across partnerships and training, product launches and electromobility milestones.
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Following Volvo Bus’s 50th year in Australia in 2021, Volvo Bus Australia General Manager, Mitch Peden, details the many highlights that have seen an eventful anniversary year for Volvo Bus.

“Whilst it wasn’t quite what we had planned, our 50th year in Australia meant a great deal to the team and it was wonderful to witness many achievements this year including welcoming new members to the team, creating new partnerships and launching two new products – the short Volvo B8R and of course, the new Volvo BZL Electric,” says Peden.

“The global launch of the new Volvo BZL Electric was arguably our biggest highlight in 2021. It truly made our milestone year all the more special.”

“Having dedicated 5 years to extensive planning, development and testing, it was certainly a very proud moment for the team in witnessing the launch of our cleanest, safest and most sustainable technology to date for the Australian and New Zealand markets.”

“It is now an especially exciting time in anticipation of the upcoming official handover of our first Volvo BZL Electric unit to the Western Australian Public Transport Authority (PTA) in February – our first customer (of many) to be operating this new technology,” explains Peden.

Along with the launch of the Volvo BZL Electric in 2021, Volvo Bus Australia also saw the beginning of an exciting new partnership with TAFE NSW, in the collaborative development of an Electromobility Micro Skills Course. 

“Setting the groundwork for the BZL Electric was a key priority for us, and the opportunity we had in partnering with TAFE NSW last year to produce a brand agnostic, national standardised course covering primary electric vehicle safety and operational information, was a testament to this. While electric vehicles are nothing new, this kind of course for the industry certainly is, and will be important in developing essential industry-wide knowledge,” says Peden.

“Training for our customers and partners has always been a priority for Volvo Bus and this past year has seen us being flexible and innovative in delivering training in new ways.”

“It is really fantastic to look back on all that has happened in our 50th year in Australia, which we were fortunate to cap off with marking our 12th consecutive year of market leadership in the Australian bus & coach industry,” explains Peden.

“A result like that is only possible with the ongoing support and trust of our customers – for that we are truly thankful. Our customers this year have done an amazing job of keeping people moving – to their jobs, to receive medical care, to school and of course to quarantine. We have been amazed by the commitment of drivers and technical and operational staff across the nation.”

“As customer and market needs remain ever changing, we look forward to continuing to deliver quality product and service solutions this year. We have a lot planned for the future and 2022 will certainly be a busy year for us and we will continue to lead with our values of quality, safety and environmental care as we take our customers with us on the journey ahead.”