First’s depot in York has made history for the company with the removal of its diesel refuelling tank following its conversion to an all-electric depot, the first in its Yorkshire operations to run an entirely electric fleet. First Bus and its predecessors have had a presence in the city since 1932, and moved to the current James Street site around 30 years ago.
Weighing 10 tonnes and the size of a typical Portakabin, the tank held 44,000 litres of fuel, enough to last the depot seven days. Diesel deliveries were being made twice a week to the site.
Kayleigh Ingham, Commercial Director of First North & West Yorkshire, said: “We’re making history with the removal of our diesel refuelling tank. This is now the first bus depot in Yorkshire to operate its fleet entirely using electric charging. We are leading a greener transport revolution in York and the wider region.”
First York now has a fleet of 86 zero-emission buses, which it says are saving close to 5,000 tonnes of carbon emissions every year. The removal of the fuel tank is the latest step in a £23m transformation of the depot, achieved with a combination of a £13m investment by First Bus and government co-funding of £10.2m secured by City of York Council.
“This depot is at the forefront of First Bus’ strategy to have a zero-emission fleet nationally by 2035,” added Kayleigh. “EVs can attract more people to consider bus travel by realising the real impact this has in creating cleaner air and enjoying a much smoother, quieter ride.”