UK transport operator First Bus said on Friday it would invest £70 million to procure 160 zero-emission buses in the West of England, following a public funding boost aimed at accelerating the region’s clean transport transition.
The investment follows a £19.89 million grant secured by the West of England Combined Authority under the second round of the UK government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA 2) programme. The combined funding will support the rollout of electric buses across the operator’s network.
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The addition of the 160 electric buses will bring the company’s zero-emission fleet in the region to 258 vehicles, accounting for half of its total fleet there. Of the newly procured buses, 27 will be repowered diesel units retrofitted with electric drivetrains by NewPower, a business unit of Wrightbus, which received an order from First Bus last year.
“We’ve reached a significant milestone today as we invest further in our journey towards a zero-emission bus fleet,” said Janette Bell, Managing Director for First Bus. “We’re thrilled that our people and customers in the West of England will benefit from government co-funding for these transformative projects.”
See also: First Bus Opens Region’s First Electric Bus Depot in Weston-Super-Mare
First Bus said the move aligns with its wider sustainability goals, with over 1,000 zero-emission buses already operating in other parts of the UK. The latest investment also follows the recent opening of the West of England’s first all-electric bus depot in Weston-Super-Mare, which was supported by £14.9 million from First Bus and ZEBRA funding.
The company said the expanded fleet and depot infrastructure will support decarbonisation goals and improve air quality across urban and rural routes in the West of England.