The 20 Alexander Dennis Enviro400 FCEV hydrogen fuel cell-electric buses owned by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) will be converted to battery-electric power as part of wider-scale rollout of that driveline technology in the region’s bus fleet.
Those vehicles are split equally between Arriva and Stagecoach. The 10 with Arriva have seen sporadic service since delivery in 2023 but those with Stagecoach have never been used in anger, with fuel supply difficulties cited as the reason for poor utilisation.
Conversion of the buses is part of LCRCA work that will see it invest hundreds of millions of pounds of Transport for City Regions (TCR) money into the region’s bus network alongside the franchising of those services.
Over 100 battery-electric buses have already been secured by LCRCA. It says that the decision to convert the Enviro400 FCEV fleet to battery-electric follows “a thorough review of the hydrogen bus project including global hydrogen supply and pricing.”
In mid-2024, the Combined Authority said it had secured a supply of green hydrogen for the Enviro400FCEVs and that they would gradually return to service, but it is understood that the Arriva examples last carried passengers around 18 months ago.
Alongside the conversions will sit what LCRCA says is “a major investment in new zero-emission fleet,” although the number of those vehicles that will be procured as part of the TCR investment is awaited.
Money will also go towards depot upgrades, multimodal smart ticketing, and extension of the locally-funded £2 fare cap and low-cost bus travel for young people. Bus priority measures and transport interchanges will also see investment.
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram says that 2026 will be “the most significant year for transport” in the city region as it reverses deregulation and starts the transition to a franchised bus network.
“We are making record investment in our fleet, infrastructure and smart ticketing so we are ready to deliver service improvements passengers know they can rely on, day in, day out,” he says.
“It means cleaner, more comfortable journeys, better reliability and lower running costs – helping us to keep fares as affordable as possible while making it easier for people to get to work, education and opportunity.”
The first franchised bus services in the Liverpool City Region are due to commence in 2026, in St Helens and Wirral. Rollout across the region will be complete by 2027 after Mr Rotheram earlier accelerated that process by a year.
