The first battery-electric buses owned by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) will enter service imminently after installation of infrastructure to support them at the Stagecoach depot in Gillmoss was completed.
Alexander Dennis has built 58 Enviro400EV double-decks for LCRCA, and Wrightbus has produced 50 StreetDeck Electroliners. They started to arrive in the city region earlier in 2026, and can each cover a claimed 275 miles between charges. All are UK manufactured.
Work at Gillmoss has been delivered by the Combined Authority, Stagecoach, Scottish Power Energy Networks, Liverpool City Council and supplier VEV to provide upgraded grid connections and high-power chargers that LCRCA says can replenish the buses’ energy storage in as little as 90 minutes.
Gillmoss will form part of later bus franchising rollout in the Liverpool City Region that is to commence with depots in Birkenhead and St Helens later this year. LCRCA will deploy the electric buses under the deregulated environment from Gillmoss “to support driver training and testing before fully transitioning into franchised operations.”
The first examples will enter service in week commencing 8 June. Gillmoss “will now serve as the primary hub for the region’s growing zero-emission bus fleet,” the Combined Authority says. Engineering and maintenance functions have also seen investment, with engineers upskilled to support the battery-electrics.
Each of the new vehicles has the bespoke interior trim and design to match the yellow-based Metro brand. They include glazed staircases, high-backed seats, and USB charging points.
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram says that while the new electric fleet is part of “the biggest change to our region’s buses in more than 40 years,” that overhaul “goes far beyond shiny new vehicles.”
He continues: “We are investing in the infrastructure to power this transition – from state-of-the-art electric charging facilities to the green skills our workforce will need to maintain these fantastic new buses.
“Over the next months, passengers will start to see a complete transformation taking place across our public transport network. From our publicly owned electric buses and battery-powered trains to our brand-new Mersey ferry, we are investing in a modern, 21st century network that will serve not just today’s passengers, but future generations.”
Funding for the battery-electric fleet and depot upgrades was secured from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement and Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas schemes. LCRCA also plans to convert to battery-electric 20 hydrogen fuel cell-electric buses that are currently idle.
