First West Yorkshire has unveiled the first three vehicles of a fleet of 39 new buses that have come as part of an £8.1m investment in Bradford.
The fleet will comprise 28 double-deck Wright StreetDecks and 11 single-deck StreetLites fitted with Euro VI engines, which First Bus says will make them 95% cleaner than the vehicles they are replacing. The rest of the 39 new buses will introduced in the coming weeks with the X6 and 72 routes the first to operate the new double-deckers between Leeds and Bradford. The single-deck StreetLites will be added in summer for city routes.
A new livery will also be applied, with City of Bradford Branding. The vehicles comply with the upcoming Bradford Clean Air Zone, due to be introduced in Spring. Existing Euro VI vehicles already doing duties on the X6 and 72 routes will be “cascaded to other corridors across Bradford”.
The StreetDecks feature next stop audio announcements, USB charging points, on-board wi-fi and e-leather seats.
“This is a significant day in our long-term vision to upgrade the fleet to give customers a better travel experience and play our part in achieving major improvements to air quality in the Bradford city region,” says Paul Matthews, Managing Director of First West Yorkshire. “Our new buses are fitted with the latest on-board features to provide connectivity on the move, better journey information while travelling and greater comfort.
“Improving air quality in Bradford is a huge priority and this investment in ultra-low emission demonstrates our commitment to work in partnership with the local authority.
“Road congestion continues to be one of the biggest issues facing bus services, It’s important that we continue to work with the city council and other bus operators to encourage less car usage across Bradford and entice more people to travel by bus.”
