The first repowered electric buses have entered service in Bath as part of First Bus’ wider rollout of vehicle electrification across the West of England.
In total, 27 First Bus diesel buses have been converted to electric power through a repowering process. The vehicles, previously mid-life diesel buses, have had their engines and gearboxes removed and replaced with batteries and associated electrical systems, alongside refurbishment of interior and exterior components.
The repowered buses will be introduced alongside 17 newly built electric buses in the city over the coming months. Additional electric vehicles are being deployed across the region, including four in Weston-super-Mare and 116 on the Bristol network from the Hengrove depot in Bristol. A further depot in Lawrence Hill is also being prepared for full electrification.
Work is also ongoing to electrify the Bath depot, which is located between the River Avon and the Kennet and Avon Canal, making it the operator’s only island-style depot.
Investment in the programme includes 70 million GBP from First Bus and 20 million GBP in government funding, secured through the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority. Overall investment in electric buses and charging infrastructure in the region is expected to reach around 150 million GBP by spring 2027.
Doug Claringbold, Regional Director for South and West at First Bus, said:Yet again we’re hitting more milestones in our electrification of our West of England fleet.
Not only are we heading towards our Hengrove depot being 100% electric with the arrival of more buses this year, but we’re also excited to welcome our first repowers, demonstrating a real commitment to going even further in our efforts to be more sustainable.
Our company is committed to operating a fully electric fleet by 2035, with 25% of our fleet nationally now electric. By the end of this year almost half the West of England’s buses will be electric with about 750,000 of our passengers each week travelling on electric buses making bus travel greener, smoother and quieter for our customers, and contributing to better air quality for our towns and cities.
