Funding has been allocated to 12 successful local authorities, with more than half going to West of England Combined Authority for 160 buses

 
More than half of the money (£19.9m) has been allocated to West of England Combined Authority

 
The government last week announced a £37.8m investment to underpin the purchase of new zero-emission buses.

The funding has been allocated to 12 successful local authorities across England – following bids to expand their zero-emission bus fleets – and will see 319 cleaner, more comfortable vehicles serving passengers by spring 2027.

More than half of the money (£19.9m) has been allocated to West of England Combined Authority to support the purchase of 160 buses. These vehicles will be operated by First Bus which is itself investing £70m.

Following the electrification of Weston Island (Bath) and Lawrence Hill (Bristol) depots, four out of the company’s five regional depots will be electrified by next year.

The West of England area will soon be running 258 zero-emission vehicles, transporting over 750,000 passengers per week. 27 of the 160 vehicles will be repowered diesel buses.

It’s been a tremendous joint effort from us and our combined authority partners to get here and we cannot wait to get these vehicles out into service

Janette Bell, managing director for First Bus, said: “We’re thrilled that our people and customers in the West of England will benefit from government co-funding for these transformative projects. It’s been a tremendous joint effort from us and our combined authority partners to get here and we cannot wait to get these vehicles out into service.

“We already have over 1,000 zero-emission buses on the road serving our customers and this latest investment is another exciting step forward.”

On the day of the announcement, local transport minister Simon Lightwood visited Hull to see how the funding will bring improved journeys for passengers and discuss how skilled engineering and construction jobs will be created locally as electric bus infrastructure is delivered.

He commented: “This funding will not only make bus travel cleaner, greener and more comfortable, but it will deliver on our Plan for Change, creating jobs, supporting local economies and accelerating our journey towards a zero emission future.”

Additional allocations:
  • West of England Combined Authority: £19.89m for 160 buses
  • Hull City Council: £3.91m for 42 buses
  • Nottinghamshire County Council: £2.68m for 42 buses
  • Brighton and Hove City Council: £2.36m for 13 buses
  • Staffordshire County Council: £2.21m for nine buses
  • Surrey County Council: £1.74m for 12 buses
  • Reading Borough Council: £1.35m for eight buses
  • Isle of Wight Council: £1.29m for nine buses
  • Wiltshire Council: £1.18m for seven buses
  • Devon County Council: £772,000 for 10 buses
  • Torbay Council: £361,000 for six buses
  • Leicestershire County Council: £126,000 for one bus

 
This article appears in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.

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