Stagecoach Group and Torbay Council are launching a new fleet of fully electric buses, with the first 25 vehicles now in passenger service.
The rollout forms part of a phased programme that will see a total of 55 electric buses operating across the bay. This milestone will see Torbay become only the second location in the UK to operate a fully electric local bus network.
The introduction also marks the first time in two decades that brand-new buses have been deployed across the area.
Peter Knight, Managing Director of Stagecoach South West said:These buses aren’t just new – they’re cleaner, quieter and better for our passengers and our environment.
The project has been delivered through close cooperation between Stagecoach and Torbay Council, who jointly secured funding through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas 2 (ZEBRA 2) scheme administered by the Department for Transport.
Stagecoach has committed 29.3 million GBP to the initiative, accounting for around 75 percent of the total investment. Of this, 26.1 million GBP has been allocated to the purchase of the electric buses, while 3.2 million GBP has been invested in depot charging infrastructure required to support the new fleet.
The remaining 25 percent of the funding has been provided through government support. In March 2024, Stagecoach and Torbay Council secured 7.1 million GBP through the ZEBRA 2 programme, with the council contributing a further 361,000 GBP to help deliver the project.
The introduction of the electric buses is expected to reduce carbon emissions, cut noise levels and improve air quality across Torbay while modernising the local public transport network.
The fleet consists of 6 Enviro 100EV and 37 Enviro 400 EV electric buses from Alexander Dennis, and 12 Yutong E10 electric buses from Yutong, all of which will be in service by the end of March.
