First Bus and its local authority partners in four regions have been successful in their bid to secure UK Government funding for new electric vehicles through the Zero Emission Buses Regional Area (ZEBRA) scheme.
The operator will receive funding towards a total of 125 electric buses across York (44) in partnership with York City Council; Portsmouth (34) in partnership with Portsmouth City and Hampshire County Councils; Bramley (32) in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, and; Norfolk (15) in partnership with Norfolk County Council.
Alongside the £25.2m ZEBRA funding, First Bus will also invest £29.5 million. Janette Bell, Managing Director of First Bus, said: “As leaders in sustainable mobility, we are fully aligned with the Government’s ambitions for a net-zero carbon transport system, including zero-emission bus fleets. We welcome the announcement and will continue to work closely with central and local Government across the UK to support the delivery of our national decarbonisation ambitions and commitments.”
This latest funding follows First Bus’ successful ZEBRA bid for 68 electric buses in Leicester, which was awarded as part of the ‘fast track’ process, and saw First Bus invest a further £15.8m on top of the ZEBRA funding of £12.8m.
