First Bus has ordered 169 Yutong battery-electric buses from dealership Pelican Bus and Coach. They form part of four successful local authority (LA) bids to the second round of the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA 2) scheme in England.
Notably, 127 of them will be the U11DD double-decker, with the remaining 42 being E10 and E12 single-deck models. The total makes First Bus the biggest customer thus far for Yutong products in the UK and narrowly eclipses a 158-unit order recently placed by Stagecoach.
Depots in Basildon, Hengrove (Bristol), Taunton and Weston-super-Mare will receive the buses. Nine more battery-electrics from Wrightbus form part of the ZEBRA 2 work at the depots involved to give a total of 178 buses for First Bus via that initiative, which when combined represents an £89 million investment in vehicles and infrastructure.
When complete, the order will take to in excess of 800 the number of battery-electric with First Bus, and to 14 the number of its depots with supporting infrastructure. It says that some of the latest vehicles will be used on rural and interurban services.
Speaking about the deal with Yutong, First Bus Chief Operating Officer Andrew Jarvis says: “We are delighted to place this order with the team at Pelican. [It] marks another significant milestone as we invest further in our journey towards a zero-emission bus fleet across our UK operations.
“We are excited to be able to bring new state-of-the-art vehicles to our customers, who will see the immediate benefit of these transformative projects, and we look forward to getting these vehicles out in service for customers in the months to come.
“It is an exciting time for our colleagues at all four of these sites as we start to transform and futureproof out depots. This is also great news for our customers, who will see the benefits of these state-of-the-art vehicles – including improved local air quality and the enhanced customer experience that EVs bring.”
The Yutong order by First Bus follows successful operation of E10 and E12 single-deckers in Aberdeen, Leeds, and South Wales. First South Yorkshire has trialled a U11DD demonstrator and Head of Yutong UK Ian Downie notes that it “was found to be as reliable and economical as our market leading single-decks” during that work.
Mr Downie adds that the latest vehicles will come with air-conditioning, USB charging points, enhanced passenger information systems, and induction hearing loops. After arrival from China, they will be completed by Pelican at its premises in Castleford, with delivery of all 169 to First Bus scheduled for completion within 16 months of 1 July.
Basildon depot will receive 24 of the U11DD double-deckers and 31 single-deckers; Hengrove will get 67 double-deckers and seven single-deckers; Taunton will take 12 U11DDs and four single-deckers; and Weston-super-Mare will welcome 24 double-deckers.
