Stagecoach Midlands used its Nuneaton depot to host a meeting of industry leaders to discuss what the operator says is the urgent need to accelerate a roadmap for zero-emission buses and decarbonisation of the transport sector.
Convened by the Campaign for Better Transport in partnership with Stagecoach, the roundtable – christened Driving change: powering the journey to cleaner and more reliable buses – came ahead of publication of the Integrated National Transport Strategy.
It highlighted how transitioning to zero-emission buses is a cornerstone of joined-up policymaking given how that shift improves air quality, reduces CO2 emissions, and improves the customer experience.
Local leaders, government representatives and transport experts joined the gathering in late January, which emphasised that achieving a net-zero fleet requires more than replacing diesel buses.
Participants included MP for Nuneaton Jodie Gosling, Department for Transport Deputy Director, Bus Partnerships and Decarbonisation Fiona Lee, Campaign for Better Transport CEO Ben Plowden, and Stagecoach Asset Management Director Tony Cockcroft. They discussed critical behind the scenes requirements, including:
-
- Infrastructure and energy – strategic investment in depot electrification and grid capacity
- Shared assets – opportunities for ‘open depots’, where bus charging infrastructure is shared with partner fleets to maximise decarbonisation
- Operational planning – redesigning routes and schedules to suit electric vehicle duty cycles.
Speaking about the event, Mr Cockcroft says: “Hosting this group at our heavily electrified depot allows us to move the conversation from theory to reality. We are proud to show that with the right partnerships – across local authorities and energy providers – the journey to a more sustainable bus network is well underway.”
Adds Ms Gosling: “We are invested in improving public transport and air pollution in Nuneaton. It was great to collaborate with multiple partners across the industry on the improvement that Stagecoach has made to its fleet of buses, which has improved customer experience and air quality in our community.”
During 2025, Stagecoach introduced the first battery-electric buses to its depot in Nuneaton. The group says that over 15% of its national fleet of 8,300 is now made up of zero-emission vehicles and notes how electrification projects such as that at Nuneaton serve as “essential models for national societal and environmental goals.”
