First West Yorkshire will complete rollout of a 57-strong battery-electric bus fleet at Bramley depot in Leeds by the end of March and more will follow this summer, the operator has said.
The £29 million project is being undertaken with a mix of funding from the operator and the first round of the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme via a bid submitted by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA).
Of the initial batch of 57 buses, 32 Wrightbus GB Kite Electroliner single-deckers have been delivered and the first of 25 StreetDeck Electroliner double-deckers will arrive in early March. Charging is via Heliox 150kW units that can deliver a full replenishment in 2.5 hours.
It is understood that battery-electric buses above the 57 in the process of delivery have been made possible by transfer to First of a portion of ZEBRA money previously allocated to another operator via the WYCA bid.
Introduction of the current round of battery-electrics into Leeds follows previous smaller deliveries of BYD ADL and Yutong products, and work in York that will soon see a wholesale conversion of First’s fleet in the city to that power source.
Speaking about the work at Bramley, First Bus North and West Yorkshire Managing Director Andrew Cullen (pictured, second from left) says: “Today marks another major step in the First Bus strategy to expand more zero-emission buses into communities in West Yorkshire and the country as part of our mission to reach a zero-emission UK bus fleet by 2035.”
Mr Cullen adds that the battery-electric bus work is “part of our green transport revolution in Leeds,” noting that the project is “real evidence of our continuing successful partnership with WYCA in bringing major improvements to bus services, supporting a shared ambition for a net-zero transport system and reducing carbon emissions in our city.”
Under Enhanced Partnership Plus proposals for bus service reform in West Yorkshire, First has pledged to transition all its fleet in Leeds to zero-emission by the end of 2030 if that pathway is adopted.
