City Sightseeing Oxford has completed conversion of its entire fleet to zero-emissions with the introduction of eight new battery-electric open-top buses.
The Wrightbus StreetDeck Electroliner double-deckers represent an investment of £4 million and join three buses repowered from diesel. It is claimed to be the first hop-on hop-off bus company with a fleet of fully electric buses.
They form part of an order of 104 battery-electric buses from parent company Go-Ahead for the Oxford Bus Company fleet, which was partly funded by Oxfordshire County Council’s successful Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas bid.
The buses include features such as glazed staircases and roof lights to improve passengers’ views of the city’s sights, as well as digital camera mirror systems.
Luke Marion, Oxford Bus Company Managing Director, says: “This is a landmark moment in our journey towards transforming our fleet of vehicles to zero-emission in Oxford. The new City Sightseeing Oxford vehicles are powered by 100% renewable electricity and will help improve air quality and make Oxford an even more attractive place to visit.
“This represents a significant investment in Oxford’s visitor economy and environment and we are proud to play such an important role in the city’s tourism sector.”
Present at a launch coinciding with English Tourism Week was Hayley Beer-Gamage, CEO of Experience Oxfordshire. She says: “We are delighted to see this investment in Oxfordshire’s visitor economy from our ambassador partner, the Oxford Bus Company.
“The new fleet is a fantastic example of the confidence and commitment Oxfordshire operators have in the future of our sector and it is great to see City Sightseeing Oxford leading the way on sustainable transport initiatives. I was delighted to be involved in the launch and experience the new service and this is a great way to launch 2024’s English Tourism Week.”
In January, Oxfordshire County Council, Go-Ahead subsidiary Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach jointly launched an £82.5m project that will introduce 159 new battery-electric buses to the city.
