Nottingham City Council and Nottingham City Transport (NCT) have submitted a business case as part of a funding bid to the Government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) fund. The bid asks for £15million towards the cost of 78 new electric buses, which would result in the complete electrification of NCT’s single decker fleet. If successful, the funding will be used to fully electrify NCT’s Trent Bridge depot, where its single-deck fleet is based. The new buses will replace all of the operator’s existing single-decker fleet and serve on 18 bus routes across the city and into the surrounding county.
Councillor Rosemary Healy, Nottingham City Council’s portfolio holder for transport, said: “Nottingham is leading the way with our green buses. We already have 120 bio-gas and 29 electric buses in our city and – if we are successful with this bid – 78 new electric buses will be a welcome sight. Greener buses help to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality, which has a major impact on the health of our citizens and the planet. Plus, newer buses offer a more comfortable journey for passengers too. It’s great that we’re working with NCT to help them become one of the UK’s first carbon neutral bus operators, and Nottingham a carbon neutral city by 2028.”
David Astill, Nottingham City Transport’s Managing Director, commented: “NCT already operates one of the greenest and cleanest bus fleets in the country. We purchased our last new diesel bus a couple of years ago and with 23 more bio-gas double deckers due this spring and the exciting prospect of 78 electric single-deck buses to follow, NCT is ambitious and committed to make our fleet even greener.”
If the bid is successful, the new buses are expected to be delivered by the end of the 2023/24 financial year.
