First West of England has commenced work on two multi-million pound projects aimed at electrifying depots in Bristol and Weston-Super-Mare.
The initiative represents an outlay £59 million through a partnership between First West of England, the West of England Combined Authority and North Somerset Council, which together secured £9 million through the Zero Emissions Bus Regional Areas 2 (ZEBRA2) project.
£14.9 million will see the transformation of the Weston-Super-Mare site off the A370, where work has already begun, and the arrival of 24 new electric buses in 2025.
£44 million is being used to electrify the operator’s Hengrove depot in Bristol and the launch of 74 electric buses on that city’s network. Work there will commence in October.
Both depots are expected to be operational by March next year.
Commercial charging will be available at the sites, as well as “apprenticeship opportunities”.
Says Doug Claringbold, First West of England’s Managing Director: “This week is a real ground-breaking moment for the West of England, as we see the first signs of a new electric, zero-emission era for bus travel in our region.
“These will be the first electric buses we welcome into our West of England fleet, providing not only a comfier, quieter and smoother ride for customers, but also helping us to deliver a more reliable service and, importantly, bus travel that is even better for the environment.
“We’re proud as a company to be investing more than £50m into this project, which will be our biggest in this region for decades, and supports First Bus’ commitment to have a zero-emissions fleet by 2035.”
Adds North Somerset Council Passenger Transport Service Manager Carl Nicholson: “The council is looking forward to seeing the arrival of a modern fleet of electric buses in our region, building on the success of the Bus Service Improvement Plan and helping us to achieve our ambitious goals to decarbonise transport, while making the bus an attractive environmental alternative form of transport for our residents.”
The electric buses will carry passengers on routes X1 (Weston to Bristol), X4 (Portishead to Bristol), 8 (Temple Meads to Clifton via city centre), 24 (Southmead Hospital to Ashton Gate), 70 (Hengrove to UWE Frenchay via city centre), 72 (Temple Meads to UWE Frenchay), 73 (Whitchurch to Bradley Stoke via Temple Meads) and 75/76 (Hengrove to Henbury/Cribbs Causeway via city centre).
