C2 class Melbourne tram

The C2 class Melbourne trams are five-section Alstom Citadis 302 trams built in La Rochelle, France, that operate on the Melbourne tram network solely on route 96. They were built for the tram network in Mulhouse, France, but being surplus to Mulhouse's demands were leased for use in Melbourne in 2008 and later purchased by the Government of Victoria. A lease of five low-floor, air-conditioned, bi-directional trams was brokered in 2008 through Yarra Trams' then French parent Transdev, at 9 million dollars for four years with shipping costs of 500,000 dollars for each tram; the first arrived in February 2008 and was launched on 11 June 2008. They were quickly nicknamed Bumblebees for their yellow colour, with the first officially named Bumblebee 1, and all entered service on route 96. It was announced in November 2010 that the state government was in negotiations to acquire them, and all five were purchased in 2012 and 2013. Before entering service they had minor adjustments at Preston Workshops, including improvements to the air conditioning.