First Glasgow has announced the purchase of 22 new battery-electric buses thanks to a £4m funding boost from the Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme (SULEBS).
First Glasgow says it is investing over £5m alongside the SULEBS funding. The vehicles are manufactured by Alexander Dennis in Falkirk.
Scottish Power Energy Networks will provide a further £300,000 from its Green Economy Fund, which will go towards charging infrastructure in First Glasgow’s Caledonia depot.
It is hoped the project will be completed by Autumn 2021, in time for COP26 which is being hosted in the city.
A further £3m of the latest round of Transport Scotland’s Bus Emissions Abatement Retrofit (BEAR) programme is set to upgrade 165 of First Glasgow’s older vehicles to Euro VI emissions outputs. Combined with the purchase of the new electric vehicles, it will mean over 60% of First Glasgow’s fleet will comply with Glasgow City Council’s Low Emission Zone plans.
Managing Director for First Glasgow Andrew Jarvis says: “Cleaner air is vitally important to all of us in society and we are determined to play our part in the communities that we serve.
“We are proud that we can now build upon this with another 22 fully electric vehicles, which will replace the oldest buses in our fleet to further improve air quality in the city of Glasgow.
“This is another step on our journey to operating a fully zero-emission fleet by 2035 and we are already leading the way with the first commercially operated electric buses in Glasgow as well as the soon-to-launch world’s first double-decker hydrogen buses in Aberdeen.
“We have been key partners with Local Authorities on the introduction of fair Low Emission Zones across Scotland. We have led the way with bus operators in Glasgow as a key partner with Glasgow City Council for the country’s first ever LEZ rollout.”
Adds Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson: “The Scottish Ultra Low-Emission Bus Scheme is providing economic stimulus to help drive a green recovery, responding to the climate emergency while improving air quality. I’m pleased that these new buses will be manufactured in Scotland, helping to support jobs and our bus manufacturing sector.
“366 million bus journeys were made in 2019, which demonstrates the value of our bus sector and supply chain in keeping Scotland moving. It also reinforces the key role that buses play every day in supporting the wider vision outlined in our National Transport Strategy.
“To help support bus operators and passengers, we’re also providing up to £109m to increase and maintain bus services and £10m for bus priority infrastructure measures. In addition, we have maintained concessionary travel payments and Bus Service Operator Grants at pre-coronavirus COVID-19 levels and have provided £9.75m to fund exhaust retrofits and help with the costs in moving to Low Emission Zones.”
