Transdev Blazefield has placed a further order for the battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eCitaro. It will receive 15 part-funded by the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme for use on the Shuttle service between Bradford and Keighley.
Confirmation of the latest deal comes after an earlier agreement that calls for 20 eCitaro single-deckers for use by Transdev at its Harrogate Bus Company operation. The Shuttle buses will operate from Keighley depot and a decision to go with the eCitaro follows trials of various battery-electric models by Transdev.
That work included passenger engagement, with feedback collected going towards shaping the specification of new battery-electric buses on order. The business also has 19 Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV battery-electric double-deckers due for Harrogate.
£3.1 million from the first round of ZEBRA will go towards the eCitaro purchase for the Shuttle service, with Transdev Blazefield contributing £4.4 million.
The buses are expected to be in service by the end of 2024, following the earlier 20 for Harrogate which are due in the spring of next year. Daimler Buses will deliver the necessary training and upskilling needed for Transdev engineers to support the new vehicles.
The ZEBRA work in West Yorkshire also captures Arriva and First Bus. It has been led by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA).
Chair of the WYCA Transport Committee Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe says that zero-emission buses “will ultimately form part of a modern, greener public transport network, fit for the 21st century, and help to encourage more people onto the bus. It will also help us to tackle the climate emergency and achieve our target of becoming a carbon net-zero region by 2038.”
