Government boost for decarbonising bus sector
Fresh plans have been revealed by Roads Minister Richard Holden to upskill and recruit bus professionals and decarbonise the sector.
The government has confirmed £3m for 18 new zero emission buses in Leicester, with the buses manufactured in Northern Ireland by Wrightbus and operated by First Bus. All diesel buses at First Bus’s depot in Leicester will now be replaced with 86 electric buses funded by the Zero Emission Buses Regional Areas (ZEBRA) – making Leicester one of the first bus depots in the UK to transition to fully electric.
The new buses brings total Government funding from the ZEBRA scheme to almost £300m for up to 1,400 zero emission buses in England.
Also announced by government is an £815,000 investment into a new Bus Centre of Excellence, which aims to bring together expertise from local government, bus operators and industry to boost skills and diversity in the bus sector.
The centre, part of the government’s National Bus Strategy, will deliver a new generation of bus professionals to drive more reliable, affordable and cleaner bus services. Hosted by the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, it will provide training opportunities, direct access to resources and industry experts, as well as networking events for the whole sector.
“Backbone of network”
Roads Minister Richard Holden said: “Buses are the backbone of our transport network, providing affordable travel for commuters, families, and pensioners, and providing an economic lifeline for towns and cities around the country.
“This multimillion investment for Leicester’s clean transformation, coupled with the new Bus Centre of Excellence, will help drive the country’s bus sector recovery and provide passengers with cleaner, more affordable buses that run on time.”
Neil Johnstone, President, Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, said: “CIHT has a proven track record of delivering high quality continuing professional development for those working in the transportation sector. We are delighted to be the chosen partner to help work on improving this important sustainable transport mode.”
“This partnership (alongside other government initiatives) will see CIHT help to bring together a wide range of professional skills and knowledge from both the public and private sector to facilitate change to local infrastructure, service delivery and the sector across the country – with the ultimate aim of improving bus services.”
“Fully-aligned”
Janette Bell, Managing Director at First Bus, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that Leicester will become one of our blueprint bus depots of the future, helping us to refine and iterate this new concept so we can roll it out across the rest of the UK. At First Bus, we’re continuing to trailblaze with our partners to ensure we meet our net zero targets, supported by co-funding from the Department for Transport.
“As leaders in sustainable mobility, we are fully aligned with the Government’s ambitions for a net zero carbon transport system. Through this co-funding with the ZEBRA scheme, we’re excited to electrify another 5 of our UK depots before March 2024, and look forward to introducing even more electric buses to our constantly growing fleet.“We cannot wait to see our customers’ reactions once the project is complete, as we know the difference this will make to the city. Electric really is the future and we’re glad we can take our customers on this journey with us.”
Image courtesy of Shutterstock
