Over 70 fully electric buses will be introduced in the West of England thanks to a funding boost secured to help replace polluting vehicles.
Metro Mayor Dan Norris has secured £6.6 million of funding in partnership with First Bus so the region can roll out 74 electric buses to replace more polluting vehicles by the end of 2025.
The £6.6m secured by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) unlocks the project, being matched by a major £37 million investment from First Bus, and means both can begin to deliver the electric-powered proposals for residents.
The cash will also be used to fully electrify First Bus’s Hengrove depot, including installing the power charging and infrastructure to handle the introduction of zero-emission buses.
These will be the region’s first fully electric, zero-emission buses and are a key part of Mayor Norris’s plans to build a sustainable West of England bus network.
As the local transport authority, the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority has a duty to tackle poor air quality.
Dan Norris said: “Cutting-edge, zero-emission buses will help attract more passengers onto the region’s buses and cut carbon.
“Transport on our roads makes up around 40% of all our carbon emissions; we have to hurry and move from petrol and diesel to cleaner solutions.
“These new buses will help us follow our green plan to decarbonise our transport network.
“We’re investing to ensure that the West has a bus fleet to be proud of – one that’s better for passengers, and for our planet, too.”
Doug Claringbold, First West of England Managing Director, added: “This is a real landmark moment for the West of England, as we secure our first electric buses in the region, demonstrating our ongoing commitment towards a zero-emissions bus fleet by 2035.
“We’re delighted that our customers will benefit from over £37 million that we as a company are investing in this upgrade to our buses and transforming the Hengrove depot.
“We’ve worked tirelessly with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority to get to this point, and we cannot wait to get these vehicles on the road.”
Under the Bus Service Improvement Plan, the Combined Authority has pledged for all the region’s buses to be zero emission by the end of 2035.