- UK bus operator, First Bus, is further building on its national electrification of its fleet, with £59 million set to be spent on making two major bus depots, in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare, ready to support charging of fully-electric buses.
- £14.9 million of this will go into the Weston-Super-Mare depot, helping provide charging for the 24 electric buses set to arrive in the seaside town next month.
- The other £44 million will be invested into First Bus’ South Bristol depot, coinciding with the 74 electric buses hitting the city’s network next year.
A big increase to the West’s electric bus fleet
The electrification work being carried out at both depots is set to be completed next March, with both fleets of fully-electric buses, the first to be operated by First West of England, arriving soon after. The investment will help boost the power connections to each site, whilst chargers will be placed along overhead gantries, allowing as many electric buses to be packed in to the depot as possible. Additionally, First Bus will be offering up chargers at both sites for local businesses to use, which could also help drive adoption of electric LCVs in the region.
This move will be significant for Bristol, a city which had an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) introduced in 2001, to address high levels of air pollution in the area. So far, only a few electric buses are operating in the major city, paling in comparison to other UK cities such as London and Oxford. This addition of 74 electric buses will help bring the city’s electrification game up to speed, while First Bus as a whole has pledged to operate a 100% zero-emission fleet by 2035.
Doug Claringbold, First Bus West of England Managing Director, commented:
“This week is a real ground-breaking moment for the West of England, as we see the first signs of a new electric, zero emission era for bus travel in our region. These will be the first electric buses we welcome into our West of England fleet, providing not only a comfier, quieter and smoother ride for customers, but also helping us to deliver a more reliable service and, importantly, bus travel that is even better for the environment. We’re proud as a company to be investing more than £50m into this project, which will be our biggest in this region for decades, and supports First Bus’ commitment to have a zero-emissions fleet by 2035.”
