UK: First Bus electrifies two depots in Somerset

Buses of Somerset, operated by First Bus South, has begun electrifying its bus depots in Taunton and Minehead. The locations will become home to 26 electric buses next spring.

buses of somerset groundbreaking first bus electric buses — Image: First Bus

The bus depot upgrades and installation of the charging infrastructure to operate electric single- and double-decker buses in Somerset is part of the county’s £14.7m initiative to bring electric buses to the region. The Department for Transport’s (DfT) Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) programme provided 2.2 million pounds. Operator First Bus is footing the remainder of the bill.

“Today is an important milestone as work starts to transform Taunton and Minehead depots into electric ready bases for our new EVs. We look forward to getting these state-of- the-art new buses on the road for customers by Spring 2025,” said Simon Goff, First Bus South Managing Director. “The 26 zero-emissions buses are fantastic news for passengers, bringing cleaner, greener vehicles to our routes, helping to improve air quality, and making bus travel even more sustainable. What’s more, the transformation of these depots will also bring smart new facilities for our staff at Taunton and Minehead.”

The company has not given any details about the type of charging infrastructure it is installing or whether the deports will only feature chargers for the operator’s buses or for the public as well. First Bus opened the UK’s first publically accessible bus charging depot in April, giving electric cars and vans a place to charge their batteries at one of eight fast chargers (150kW).

What is known is that First Bus is working with Dutch charging infrastructure specialist Heliox, which has since been taken over by Siemens, to electrify the bus depots. The partnership between the two companies was first announced a few weeks ago. On top of the bus depots Bristol, Weston-super-Mare, and Basildon, Heliox is also said to have been commissioned to electrify the above-mentioned depots Minehead and Taunton.

First Bus wants to completely switch out its diesel fleet for zero-emission buses by 2030 across all regions. The company recently placed an order with Wrightbus for 36 electric buses, which will hit the road in Aberdeen, Scotland, in early 2025. It is also working with the manufacturer to retrofit existing diesel buses.

firstbus.co.uk