First Bus has launched “First Charge“, a new identity for its nationwide shared-charging programme.
The initiative opens up the electric charging infrastructure at a growing number of its depots to businesses, fleet operators and, in the case of Glasgow and Summercourt, to the public.
Nine sites are already established, while six will be set up by the end of this year.
The Caledonia Superhub in Glasgow is now open to the public for the first time, following on from Summercourt, which last year became the first to offer consumer electric charging.
The Glasgow depot has 34 ultra-rapid chargers installed by Envevo.
The other seven existing sites, which are open to partners such as DPD, Centrica, Openreach, and Police Scotland, are Aberdeen, Hoeford, Leeds, Leicester, Norwich, Scotstoun and York.
First Bus says such partnerships offer businesses several advantages: high availability and uptime, rapid charging, flexible infrastructure and secure facilities.
Six further sites will be open by the end of this year: Bristol, Basildon, Fulwell, Minehead, Taunton and Weston-super-Mare.
Isabel McAllister, First Bus UK Chief Sustainability and Compliance Officer, says: “At First Bus, we’re progressing rapidly towards our goal of a zero-emission fleet by 2035, with an investment of over £320 million to date.
“With First Charge, we’re building on our position as an industry-leader, sharing our infrastructure to accelerate decarbonisation to help other users move faster too.”
