Battery-electric bus operation from the First Solent depot at Hoeford will start during March 2024, the operator has said. It comes as work has commenced on infrastructure to support the 62-strong Wrightbus GB Kite Electroliner fleet that is on order.
The shift at Hoeford represents one of a number of battery-electric projects begun by First Bus following successful local authority bids to the first round of the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme (ZEBRA 1) in England. Such overhaul has already begun in Leeds, Leicester, Norwich and York, with Wrightbus providing vehicles in each instance.
For Hoeford, Hampshire County Council and Portsmouth City Council secured £12.7 million from ZEBRA 1. First Bus is making a parallel investment of around £15.9 million.
The buses involved will run across Fareham, Gosport, and Portsmouth. Routes to be served by the new fleet include those using the Eclipse bus rapid transit corridor between Fareham and Gosport, and the X4 and X5 that reach Southampton.
To support the work, representatives from both local authorities involved attended Hoeford depot to mark the commencement of infrastructure development there. First Solent has confirmed that once electric bus rollout is complete, it will continue to run a small number of diesel buses from Hoeford.
First Bus South Managing Director Simon Goff (pictured, centre) says that introduction of zero-emission buses at Hoeford “is a vital project that will not only improve travel for our customers, but marks a major transformation of our Hoeford depot and its functions.”
He adds: “This is just the start, and there are exciting times ahead for public transport across the Solent area. I am proud to be part of this extremely important partnership with Hampshire County Council and Portsmouth City Council as we support their plans for better air quality and cleaner, greener travel.”
Earlier this year, First Solent purchased land at Hilsea adjacent to its existing depot there. Work at that location will eventually see the new site able to operate up to 90 battery-electric buses.
Meanwhile, the first battery-electric Wrightbus StreetDeck Electroliners for First Norwich are expected to enter service soon. They will run from Roundtree Way depot in the city, which will be converted entirely to battery-electric with 70 Wrightbus models by March 2024.
Rollout of ZEBRA-funded battery-electrics in Leicester and York is well underway. In Leeds, depot work began in August ahead of the first of 57 buses entering service. In total, First Bus will receive 310 battery-electric buses that are part-funded by ZEBRA 1.
