First Bus’s Hengrove depot in Bristol has gone all-electric following the departure of its last diesel bus as a donation.
The gifting of the 2008-registered double-decker to a community group comes 13 months after the upgraded electric depot was officially opened by Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood.
The Hengrove site was given a ÂŁ44 million makeover supported by Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas government funding to become Bristol’s first electric depot.
Five charging gantries were installed for the 118 Yutong buses which now operate from the depot.
The final diesel example, a Volvo B9TL with Wright Eclipse Gemini bodywork, has been handed over to Circular ArtSpace, a Bristol-based Community Interest Company (CIC).
That organisation plans to convert the former service bus into a travelling gallery and workshop venue.
The project will complement the organisation’s existing arts hub in Fishponds, which is already housed within another former First Bus vehicle.
Doug Claringbold, Managing Director of First Bus West and South, says: “We’re proud to support Circular ArtSpace and help give this bus a new purpose at the heart of the community.
“The project will help create opportunities for emerging artists and bring people together through shared experiences. It’s a great example of how we can continue creating positive impact beyond transport.”
Tamara Garofalo, Chair of Circular ArtSpace, adds: “This new bus is a real opportunity: more space to represent under-represented artists, to show their work in more places as a kind of multi-location gallery, and to run workshops that help them, and anyone interested, put down roots in the community.
“At the heart of Circular ArtSpace is a simple belief that, where there is art, communities come together.
“A bus felt like the right vehicle for that, literally, it lets us carry this same approach to more places, and it’s something people use every day, without the hesitation that can come with walking into a traditional cultural space. And it will always be free, with no ticket required.”
