First Bus has announced plans to transform its Roundtree Way depot in Norwich into a full-electric bus fleet depot. It comes as 70 new electric vehicles are set to join the operator’s fleet by March 2024.
Key representatives from Norfolk County Council joined First Bus officials at the depot on 13 July to mark the start of construction.
The Norwich facility will become one of only three such depots outside London. The transformation, jointly undertaken with Norfolk County Council, is made possible through a £14.7m grant from the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme and an additional investment of approximately £22.5m from First Bus.
Manufactured by UK-based Wrightbus, the zero-emission buses will constitute more than half of the Norwich network operated by First Bus. Each bus is projected to save up to 60 tonnes of tailpipe emissions annually. The shift towards electrification means that over 60% of all bus journeys through Castle Meadow in the city centre will be emission-free.
“This is an exciting project that will make a significant improvement to the journey experience for our customers and to the local environment,” says Piers Marlow, Managing Director at First Bus Eastern Counties.
Graham Plant, Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Transport at Norfolk County Council, hails the project as a “boost to our ambitions to run a net-zero transport system in Norfolk.” He adds: “Norwich will soon have one of the biggest full electric bus depots in England (outside London). The support that First bus has shown in bringing these vehicles to Norwich demonstrates the excellent working relationship we have with our bus operators.”
Faizan Ahmad, Decarbonisation Delivery Director at First Bus UK, comments: “The beginning of the work to electrify our Roundtree Way depot in readiness for the arrival of the new electric fleet later this year is a major milestone on the journey to bringing zero emissions vehicles to the Norwich network.”
