The first images of the interior of the new zero-emission hydrogen bus fleet for Liverpool have been released, with CGI visuals offering a peek at the highly-specified interiors and features which passengers on the new vehicles will be able to expect when they come into service.
Designed especially for the city region, the buses promise ‘larger and more comfortable seats with unique pattern designs,’ similar to those on the new trains for the Merseyrail network. The vehicles will also carry a range of special features which passengers said they wanted to see on board – these include wireless and USB phone charging, WiFi internet access and reading lights above seats. The buses also promise to be ‘some of the most accessible in the country,’ with increased capacity for wheelchair users and passengers with prams or buggies.
Other new features of the hydrogen buses include camera mirror systems as well as audio and visual next stop announcements – with high definition on-board screens to update passengers on journey progress in real time.
Screens will also display information about onward connections as the vehicles approach railway and bus stations, allowing passengers to more easily transfer between different modes of travel – an important part of Mayor Rotheram’s aspirations for an integrated London-style transport network for the Liverpool city region.
The release of the new images comes follows the decision by the Mayor and local leaders to confirm franchising as the preferred future model for running the region’s bus network and services – reversing the deregulation of the 1980s.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “I’ve got bold ambitions for the future of our region’s bus network and where better to start than bringing the fleet into the 21st century?! We’ve made a major investment and I think it really shows; they look great!
“Our new zero-emission hydrogen buses will not only give passengers a clean, green and comfortable way to get about, but they will also act as the trailblazer in our city region’s journey to develop one of the country’s healthiest public transport networks.
“Just like our new trains, these buses have been designed and built for the needs of people in our region in mind and will be publicly owned too. Reforming our bus network a key part of my plan for an integrated London-style transport network that makes traveling around our region quick, cheap and reliable – and we’ve recently taken a massive next step towards doing that by agreeing that franchising is our preferred model for running bus services.”
The 20 hydrogen buses will be directly purchased through the Liverpool city region’s Transforming Cities Fund, and, like the new trains for the Merseyrail network, will be publicly owned. They will form part of the Mayor’s target for the city region to become net zero carbon by 2040 at the latest. The buses are being supplied by Alexander Dennis, with the first vehicles set to be delivered later in 2022. It is planned that they will initially serve the region’s busiest route – the 10A between St Helens and Liverpool city centre, jointly operated by operators Arriva and Stagecoach.
