First Bus Begins Electrification Upgrade Work at Great Yarmouth Depot

Works have begun at First Bus’ Great Yarmouth depot to prepare the site for the handling of electric buses, marking the next step in the rollout of zero-emission public transit in and across Norfolk.

The electrification of the Caister Road depot forms part of a larger 13.8 million GBP investment, 8.9 million GBP of which has been funded by First Bus, with the remainder funded through a grant provided as part of the Norfolk County Council Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).

Ground Breaking at the Great Yarmouth Depot

Left to right: Norfolk County Council’s Niki Park, Head of Passenger Transport, Cllr Graham Plant, Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Transport, and Steve Wickers, BSIP Delivery Manager, and Simon Mathieson, Managing Director of First Bus East of England, at First Bus Great Yarmouth Depot

The investment will ultimately support the introduction of 10 electric buses, which are set to operate on Service 8, connecting James Paget University Hospital with Caister via Great Yarmouth town centre, as well as the installation of new high-power charging infrastructure at the depot.

All new buses are expected to be in operation in the autumn, with work also set to begin at First Bus’s Vulcan Road depot in Norwich in the coming months – a work plan that will include accommodation for 14 electric buses operating on routes 28, 36, 37 and 38, linking communities in Thorpe Marriott, Horsford, Mulbarton and Ives Road with Norwich city centre.

Simon Mathieson, Managing Director of First Bus East of England, said:
The transformation of Roundtree Way in Norwich showed what can be achieved when strong partnerships come together, with £37.2 million invested through ZEBRA funding, Norfolk County Council and First Bus.

This next phase of investment, supported by BSIP funding and our own continued commitment, allows us to bring the benefits of electric buses to Great Yarmouth and more communities across Norfolk.

The upgrade of the Caister Road depot builds on a recent transformation of First Bus’s Roundtree Way depot in Norwich, which enabled the introduction of 70 electric buses into local services in 2024. This was made possible via a 37.2 million GBP investment in vehicles and infrastructure – 14.7 million GBP of which was supported by Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) funding from the Department for Transport, alongside a 22.5 million GBP capital investment from First Bus.