Salisbury's potential future buses in trial ahead of 2026 revamp

New electric buses will 'revolutionise' the city's transport network

Author: Aaron HarperPublished 3rd Jun 2024

People in Salisbury are to get a look at the city's future bus service over the next two months as a demonstrator bus will be on show.

Local operator, Salisbury Reds, is preparing to order its new fleet of electric buses, which will arrive in early 2026.

They, in partnership, with Wiltshire Council, were successful in their bid to the Department for Transport for funding from the most recent ZEBRA (Zero Emission Bus Regional Area) scheme, securing £11.4 million to invest in the new fleet.

Andrew Sherrington, Salisbury Reds general manager, said the funding will 'revolutionise' the city's transport network.

“We are researching the best electric buses to invest in, so we currently have this double decker demonstrator to monitor and assess. The Volvo BZL has now entered service on our city network - and it will be with us until Friday 7 June.

“We are asking our customers for feedback on both buses - including how they compare to our existing diesel buses, whether they like the interior layouts, how they feel about the noise of the buses, and whether they are likely to travel more or less on the new electric buses."

It's an opportunity for us to see what's coming in the near future and to give our feedback on the trial bus.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.