74 ScotZEB battery-electrics for First Bus all to be single-deck

First Bus Scotland has moved quickly to confirm that all 74 of the battery-electric buses that will be part-funded by the first round of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus (ScotZEB) challenge fund are to be single-deck models. The manufacturer has not been confirmed but they will all be in service by spring 2024.

50 of them will go to First Glasgow’s Scotstoun depot and 24 will join the First Aberdeen fleet. The former will take the number of battery-electric buses in operation by the group in Glasgow to 200, while those for Aberdeen will grow to 30% the percentage of its fleet that is zero-emission, the group says.

£18.6m has been secured by First Bus for its Scottish business from the first round of ScotZEB. To that it will add £16.4m for a total investment of £35m.

The 50 battery-electric buses for Scotstoun will complement current work at Caledonia depot in Glasgow that upon completion will see 150 buses there that use the same propulsion technology. When all 200 are delivered across Caledonia and Scotstoun, 40% of the buses operating from the two depots will be zero-emission.

Significant money will be invested in infrastructure at Aberdeen and Scotstoun as part of the ScotZEB work to future-proof both depots, the group adds. In Aberdeen, the battery-electric buses will run alongside Wrightbus StreetDeck Hydroliner hydrogen fuel cell-electric double-deckers.

Says First Bus Scotland Managing Director Duncan Cameron: “We are delighted to have been awarded this funding, and we are proud to be continuing our journey towards achieving a 100% zero-emission fleet by 2035.

“Scotstoun will become the second of our depots in Glasgow to start its journey, while Aberdeen will further enhance its growing number of zero-emission buses. Both depots will be future-proofed for further investment in zero-emission vehicles as a result of the infrastructure work undertaken.”

The first round of ScotZEB will see over £62m go towards the delivery of 276 battery-electric buses across Scotland. A second round of ScotZEB is expected to open in April.