National Express to procure 300 electric buses for West Midlands

The English bus operator National Express West Midlands is investing 150 million pounds in 300 electric buses to be delivered and deployed in the West Midlands by the end of December 2024. This means that more than a third of the operator’s fleet will be emission-free by that time.

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It is not yet clear from which manufacturers the bus operator will order the 300 units for the equivalent of 171 million euros. However, the electric buses are to be sourced from British production in any case. Additional investments will be made in the charging infrastructure and the maintenance capacities of the fleet in the depot network of National Express West Midlands.

By 2030, National Express wants to have a completely emission-free bus fleet. The Birmingham-based company operates as a provider of intercity and regional bus transport throughout the UK, but in turn employs many local bus operators. According to National Express, subsidy programmes for the start-up financing of battery-electric buses were decisive in now completing the drive turnaround in the public transport sector.

“This huge green investment shows we are now at the tipping point of electric buses,” emphasises Tom Stables, CEO National Express UK & Germany. “The initial Government support has got the industry going and we are proud to be a major contributor to the green economy in the West Midlands.”

The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in the central west of England with a population of around three million. National Express’ depot network there is currently being prepared for the growing electric bus fleet. The electricity for the vehicles is to come 100 per cent from renewable energy sources.

Transport for West Midlands and the region’s bus operators are currently making a series of investments that should lead to around 800 zero-emission buses on the region’s roads by 2026, according to the statement. One example is the Coventry Electric Bus City project, which aims to replace 275 buses from all operators on Coventry’s roads with zero-emission buses by 2025.

Update 17 April 2023

National Express West Midlands has ordered a further 170 Enviro400EV electric double-decker buses from manufacturer alliance BYD and ADL for delivery by the end of 2024. The order is part of the procurement of 300 new electric buses announced by National Express West Midlands in January. The order now placed brings the number of Enviro400EV buses operated and ordered by National Express in the West Midlands to 329. That includes the 130 examples for Coventry, more than half of which are now in service.

nationalexpressgroup.com, alexander-dennis.com (Update)