Alexander Dennis has received an order for eight of its Enviro400EV electric double decker buses from Reading Buses, bringing the English operator’s number of vehicles on order to 32.
The new buses are due for delivery in 2026, with the contract having been made possible due to funding received from Reading Buses & Reading Borough Council from the Department for Transport (DfT).
Set to convert the operator’s yellow 26 route to an all-electric operation, the eight extra vehicles will join 24 other buses funded by the second round of the government’s Zero-Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA 2) scheme, which are currently being built at Alexander Dennis’ UK factories and scheduled to begin operation along the purple 17 and claret 21 routes this August.
Robert Williams, Chief Executive Officer for Reading Buses, said:We were delighted to gain the opportunity to extend our plans for Zero Emission Buses in the Reading Area, and look forward to the improvement in customer experience the new buses are expected to deliver to our network of brightly coloured 24/7 urban bus services.
Our detailed specification includes café style flooring, high back seats with USB charging, social seating, no rattly items, a glazed staircase and rooflights, LED mood lighting, two wheelchair bays, and audio visual next stop information system.
Each bus delivered will feature high back seating, USB charging sockets, social seating arrangements, air conditioning, audio-visual stop announcements and enhanced accessibility.
The units will be powered by Voith’s Electrical Drive System, with energy stored in 472kWh batteries provided by Impact Clean Power Technology.
Mark Taylor, Regional Sales Manager for Alexander Dennis, added:We’re delighted that another eight next-generation Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV will take the Reading Buses electric fleet to 32 buses by next year, delivering smoother journeys and cleaner air.
This order is also good news for the wider British economy, with UK Government funding being reinvested in domestic manufacturing that will benefit local communities in places where Alexander Dennis operates as well as throughout our extensive supply chain.
