The West of England’s buses are going green – both in colour and to help the planet.

Mayor Dan Norris and his dog Angel stopped by First Bus’ Hengrove depot in Bristol to see the results of a £44 million investment to electrify the depot ready for 74 brand-new electric buses.

The project is being delivered through £6.6 million secured by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority from the Department for Transport, matched by £37 million from First Bus. The investment covers both the electric buses and the infrastructure needed to operate them including five new power gantries.

The bright green buses are branded WESTbus, as part of a plan to create a coherent, trusted, and visible transport brand to encourage passengers to switch between services. They match the bright green WESTlink on-demand minibus services and WESTbikes and WESTscoots.

Dan Norris, the Mayor of the West of England, said:

“Cutting-edge, zero-emission buses will help attract more passengers onto the region’s buses and cut carbon. Transport on our roads makes up around 40% of all our carbon emissions; we have to hurry and move from petrol and diesel to cleaner solutions. These new buses will help us follow our green plan to decarbonise our transport network.

“We’re investing to ensure that the West has a bus fleet to be proud of – one that’s better for passengers, and for our planet, too.”

Doug Claringbold, the Managing Director for First Bus in the West of England, said:

“This summer we will reach a ground-breaking moment for Bristol, as we see the first signs of a new electric, zero emission era for bus travel. The 74 electric buses arriving within the next few months will provide not only a comfier, quieter and smoother ride for customers, but also helping us to deliver a more reliable service and, importantly, bus travel that is even better for the environment.

“We’re proud as a company to be investing more than £37 million into this project in Bristol, which will be our biggest in the city for decades, and supports First Bus’ commitment to have a zero-emissions fleet by 2035.”

The new electric WESTbuses will not only reduce emissions but also support green jobs, with upskilling opportunities and apprenticeships created as part of the depot transformation.

The new electric buses will be in use this summer.

https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/