To mark Earth Day, Oxford Bus Group has confirmed it has reached the halfway stage of the roll-out of its 104 battery-electric vehicles.
Fifty-two of the Wrightbus StreetDeck Electroliner double-deckers and GB Kite Electroliner single-deckers are on the road on city services and City Sightseeing Oxford open-top tours.
Oxford Bus Group‘s parent company, Go-Ahead, says the order helps it meet its target to reduce emissions by 75% by 2035 and become net-zero by 2045.
Luke Marion, Managing Director of Oxford Bus Company, says: “We’re making excellent progress in our journey to transform our city fleet into an all-electric service to further help improve air quality in the communities we serve.
“We wholeheartedly support Earth Day; it is a great initiative that celebrates sustainability and encourages people to make small changes to help the environment.
“Buses of all types help reduce congestion and vastly improve air quality, which is key to helping address the climate emergency. Our multi-million pound investment in clean technology is radically improving the environment and underlines Go-Ahead’s commitment to becoming net-zero.
“Making small adjustments to travel routines can help us realise of our collective goal of achieving net-zero emissions in Oxford. We hope Earth Day encourages people to take part and use it as an opportunity to see what buses have to offer, especially while single fares are currently capped at £2.”
The buses were part of a deal involving 159 zero-emissions buses which was part-financed via the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme bid won by Oxfordshire County Council and also involving Stagecoach.
