First Glasgow has placed an order for a further 22 BYD ADL Enviro200EV battery-electric buses. The agreement represents an investment of £9m: Over £5m from First and almost £4m that the operator was awarded through the initial round of the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme (SULEBS).
The buses join two Enviro200EV battery-electrics already in the First Glasgow fleet. They will enter service ahead of the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which gets underway in the city on 1 November.
Caledonia depot will house the buses, which will be 11.6m long and seat up to 40 passengers. Scottish Power Energy Networks is providing £300,000 to the project from its Green Economy Fund. That money will go towards the infrastructure required to support the vehicles.
Says First Glasgow Managing Director Andrew Jarvis: “In January last year we launched the city’s first electric buses on a commercial route since 1960. We are proud that we can now build upon that with another 22 further electric vehicles, which will replace the oldest buses in our fleet to further improve air quality in Glasgow.
“This is another step on our journey to operating a fully zero carbon emission fleet by 2035. We are already leading the way with the first commercially-operated electric buses in Glasgow, as well as the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell-electric double-deckers at our sister company in Aberdeen.”
Adds ADL President and Managing Director Paul Davies: “Assembled in Scotland, these electric buses for Glasgow keep Scottish Government investment in the country to maximise the benefit to our communities, underpinning jobs and developing skills in clean vehicle technology.”
Four other operators – Ember Core, McGill’s Buses, Orkney Islands Council and Xplore Dundee – were successful in the first round of SULEBS, although the Orkney Islands Council bid has since been withdrawn. Submissions for a second round of SULEBS recently closed.
