Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has ordered 50 BYD ADL Enviro400 battery-electric double-deckers for its regulated Bee Network that will launch in September 2023.
The buses will be assembled in Scarborough and they will operate in Wigan and Bolton, which are part of the area of Greater Manchester where bus franchising will be rolled out first. The yellow Bee Network livery will be carried.
Funding for the Enviro400EV fleet is coming from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, with around 300 more zero-emission buses to come to Greater Manchester from 2024 to 2027. 32 Enviro400EVs are already in use in Greater Manchester as part of the Stagecoach Manchester fleet.
Speaking about the TfGM order, Alexander Dennis President and Managing Director Paul Davies says: “We are delighted to have been chosen as supplier for the first tranche of zero-emission buses for the new Bee Network.
We look forward to playing our part in transforming bus services in Wigan and Bolton with these iconic buses, which will be built in the north of England at our factory in Scarborough and supported locally from our AD24 aftermarket hub in Skelmersdale.”
Adds Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham: “The countdown to bringing buses back under local control for the first time in 36 years is well and truly on. With the order placed for our first 50 new electric buses and strong interest from operators that want to run the first franchised services a year from now, the Bee Network is gathering real momentum.
“I am also delighted to unveil a sneak peak of what the Bee Network is going to look like. We are building on Manchester’s symbolic bee and Metrolink colours – both of which are synonymous with our city region – to deliver something modern and iconic that reflects the first-class transport network it will become.”
