Nottingham gets next batch of electric buses

Nottingham City Transport (NCT) wants to completely phase out its diesel buses and replace them with 48 all-electric single deck buses. The operator is now one step closer to its goal.

NTC has received more electric buses. It does not specify the exact number and only says that this is “the first phase of the next batch of 24 electric single-deck buses, which will be introduced in the next few months.”

According to the operator’s website, it already has 24 electric buses in service, which were delivered in April and May of last year. A further 24 will go into service in the first halt of 2025, the first of which have now arrived. Another 14 electric buses will follow “towards the end of the year.” These are likely the 14 Yutong battery-electric single-decker buses (11 E10 models and a trio of larger E12s) ordered in July 2024.

The now-delivered buses will go into service on the Green Line routes 5, 7, 8 and 9, which “form the backbone of West Bridgford’s public transport, connecting key destinations,” according to NTC. The operator will also introduce electric buses on the lines Navy 3 and 48, Sky Blue 61, and Yellow 70 and 71.

This time, too, the vehicles were supplied by Yutong and its service partner Pelican Engineering. Which models are now in service is not communicated.

NTC states a range of 250-275 miles for the buses, enough to cover a full day of service. The buses are charged overnight at the Trent Bridge Garage.

According to NCT, the total cost for the buses and the corresponding infrastructure is 32.2 million pounds. The Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) Fund funded the project with 13.4 million pounds. NCT has invested the remaining 18.8 million pounds.

nctx.co.uk (press release), nctx.co.uk (electric transport)