Carbridge, the largest airport bus company in Australia, recently signed an agreement with Chinese company BYD for the procurement of 40 electric buses.

In the second half of 2016, six 12-meter-long BYD electric buses joined the Carbridge fleet for a trial operation. The performance of the buses exceeded expectations; their level of comfort, excellent air-conditioning system and energy-saving features won positive feedback from passengers and company leadership alike.

"BYD's products and technologies are undoubtedly the best in the world, and this is why we chose BYD buses," Carbridge CEO Luke Todd explained to the People's Daily. "An electric bus costs AU$ 700,000. It is more expensive than diesel buses. But in the long term, it saves 20 percent of cost compared with diesel buses.

“BYD's huge success in the past decade has deeply impressed us. It is one of the best manufacturers of batteries. Through cooperation with us, it opens the Australasian market,” Todd added.

According to Liu Xueliang, an executive at BYD, BYD buses clearly stood out from their British and Indian competitors after rigorous tests over a six-month period.

BYD is not the only Chinese partner of Carbridge. In the past eight years, Carbridge has been cooperating with China’s Xinfa Airport Equipment Co., and is satisfied with the dual-end drive bus the latter manufactures.

As a close observer of Chinese products and manufacturers, Todd said, "I can feel the ambition of Chinese enterprises who are striving to produce the best products. 'Made in China' shows innovative ideas in many aspects."

“BYD buses are running in 240 cities in 50 countries around the world. Based on statistics from labs and trial tests, the buses are very well developed,” Liu explained. “BYD possesses the core technologies of electric vehicles; this is an advantage that many foreign electric car companies don’t have.”

Industry insiders believe BYD’s entry into the Australian market will help to improve the company's image internationally. It may also renew the international market’s perception of Chinese brands.