First Bus has opened a brand new electrified bus depot in the south of Bristol.
The 44 million GBP facility, which was unveiled at Hengrove by Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood, Mayor Helen Godwin and First Bus’ Acting Managing Director Rob Pymm, was made possible by funding from both First Bus itself and the government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) project via the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.
The funding will also be used for the introduction of 74 new electric buses, all of which are set to debut on Bristol roads this summer and transport more than 230,000 passengers per week.
The introduction of the buses is expected to save around 75 tonnes of CO2 per year, marking a milestone in First Bus’ journey towards a zero-emission fleet by 2035, with the opening of the new electrified depot following the company’s unveiling of the West of England’s first electrified depot in Weston-super-Mare.
Rob Pymm, the Acting Managing Director for First Bus in the West of England, said:Just weeks ago we were celebrating the opening of our first electrified depot and the arrival of our first electric buses, and now, today, we’re marking yet another major milestone.
The opening of our first electrified depot in Bristol is not only a key moment on our journey to a fully electric fleet by 2035, but also demonstrates our commitment to providing customers with a smoother, quieter and cleaner bus network in the West of England.
I’m proud of the pace our teams are working to bring this revolution in public transport to our region, and I’m looking forward to the next phase of electrification in Bath and at our other Bristol depot at Lawrence Hill.
The unveiling of the new Bristol site also saw the reveal of five new gantries installed by N G Bailey and set to power the area’s 74 new electric buses, all of which will be fully equipped with USB charging points at each seat and a camera monitoring system replacing traditional wing mirrors.
Helen Godwin, the Mayor of the West of England, said:I promised to work with government to get our region moving. The first of over 250 brand-new, comfy, electric buses for our region are a great start in a new chapter for the West of England, as we work with local councils and bus operators to deliver the best for the West.
£29 million secured from government and £120 million from First Bus has already electrified the Hengrove depot with new charging infrastructure, as well as the one in Weston-super-Mare. This landmark investment in our wider area will also see a fully electric fleet at Hengrove by next summer and will soon turbo-charge the depots in Bath and Lawrence Hill too.
These new zero-emission buses are a total game-changer for bus passengers across the West Country, with phone chargers at every seat. I was glad to welcome the Minister to our region to see them today, and discuss with him how we can further improve bus services in our region including through the new powers promised by the Bus Services Bill.
