UK: Hull and East Riding to purchase 40 electric buses

Hull City Council's Cabinet has given the green light for the purchase of 40 electric buses and corresponding infrastructure. Both are funded by the UK's ZEBRA2 (zero emission bus regional areas) scheme.

The 40 electric buses will go into service in Kingston-upon-Hull. They will replace parts of the existing diesel fleet and run on lines 16 and 46.

According to the Hull City Council, it has earmarked around two million pounds awarded by the government scheme for charging infrastructure. Though there is no detailed information on how many or what kind chargers of chargers will be installed, the Council mentions that the buses will be charged overnight at the depot.

“The council’s capital investment towards infrastructure costs will act as a springboard for both bus operators to introduce electric buses in the city and support them to make future investments in fleet replacement,” says Councillor Mark Ieronimo, cabinet portfolio holder for transportation, roads and highways at Hull City Council.

Hull and the surrounding county East Riding of Yorkshire had – alongside local operators Stagecoach and East Yorkshire Buses – submitted a joint bid for funding to the UK government’s ZEBRA (zero emission bus regional areas) scheme. They were awarded 5.7 million pounds in total for the purchase of 40 buses and corresponding infrastructure.

According to the BBC, “a further £3m will be used to pilot new services and increase the frequency of existing routes.” That includes dropping fares of Park&Ride schemes and on Saturday night buses to 1 pound, to make them more attractive alternatives to private cars.

“The bus operators in Hull are making a major capital investment in new electric buses to take public transport into the next era of cleaner, quieter, and more environmentally friendly service delivery. The council’s funding commitment towards infrastructure costs was a significant factor in the success of the Hull Bus Alliance submission for the Department for Transport’s ZEBRA grant,” says Matt Cranwell, managing director at Stagecoach East Midlands. He adds: “Buses underpin the local economy by providing essential transport connections for people to reach employment, education, healthcare and retail services, which makes investing in sustainable transport an important strategy for the future development of Hull.”

hull.gov.uk, bbc.com