Plymouth has received the first of an order of fifty zero-emission electric double-decker buses as part of a new project led by Plymouth Citybus, part of the Go-Ahead Group, in partnership with Plymouth City Council, Cornwall Council, and the Department for Transport.
The project will see just under half of Plymouth’s Citybus fleet replaced with new electric vehicles, with the first bus having been delivered on 22 April.
The new fleet is set to gradually enter service this summer, with initial routes utilising the new vehicles including routes 21/A, 42 and 50/51. Six vehicles will also serve the Rame Peninsula in Cornwall’s route 70.
All fifty of the new vehicles are expected to be on the road by the end of 2025.
Made possible with funding from Plymouth CityBus (19.6 million GBP), support by grants from the Government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) 2 Fund (10.34 million GBP) and contributions from both Plymouth City Council and Cornwall Council (1.94 million GBP), work is steadily progressing to transform the existing Milehouse bus depot into a dedicated hub for the charging and maintenance of the electric fleet.
Richard Stevens, Managing Director of Plymouth Citybus and Go Cornwall Bus said:The arrival of our first electric buses marks a huge step forward, not just for Plymouth Citybus but for the city as a whole. Our team is thrilled to be part of this positive change, and we are fully committed to building a greener transport network for generations to come.
Each new bus will be dressed in a livery stating its green credential, with the new vehicles expected to reduce carbon emissions by around 79,914 tonnes over their lifetimes.
The vehicles feature additional space to accommodate second wheelchair users on-board, as well as regular audio-visual announcements to provide information for those hard of sight and/or hearing.
Councillor Mark Coker, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, said:It’s fantastic to welcome Plymouth’s first electric buses and to be supporting the establishment of Milehouse as an electric bus depot. This is a major milestone and demonstrates the commitment of all the project partners – and wider enhanced partnership – to delivering better bus services for the city. I look forward to seeing the new buses out on the road and passengers enjoying the more accessible space and journey information they offer.
