Warrington, a town situated between Liverpool and Manchester in England, has announced plans to replace its entire fleet of 105 buses with electric vehicles. The transition will be made possible through a partnership between the Warrington Borough Council and operator Own Buses, which successfully secured the largest funding award from the UK Government’s 2011 ZEBRA scheme.
The Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) funding was awarded to the council, with Warrington reportedly receiving £21.5 million (€25.4 mn), making it one of the first places in the UK to have an all-electric bus fleet. The council is expected to use electricity generated by its own solar farms to power the new buses, further reducing emissions.
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In addition to the electric bus fleet, the council has committed to an Enhanced Partnership with all local operators to maximize the benefits of the ZEBRA funding. The new fleet of electric vehicles is part of a wider package of measures designed to drive up the quality of bus services across the board.
The council has approved the new spending, but the actual sum has not been disclosed. However, the higher budget was required due to changed prices post-Covid and the current high rate of inflation.
Charging infrastructure is being installed at a depot for Warrington’s Own Buses to use. The new depot will be ready to house the new fleet of zero-emission buses when they launch in 2024.
To be eligible for funding, the buses must be made in Britain, leaving ADL or Wrightbus as potential suppliers. The ZEBRA scheme is part of the UK Government’s initiative to introduce 4,000 zero-emission buses across England by 2025.
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