Salisbury Reds bidding for major transport network boost for the City
They've table a joint bid with Wiltshire Council to the Department for Transport
Salisbury Reds and Wiltshire Council are bidding to bring a new fleet of electric buses to the city.
The partnered bid has been made to the Department for Transport (DfT) and would see 23 new zero-emission busses brought to Salisbury, if successful.
It would be an investment of £11.4m into the city's transport infrastructure, including the buses and electric charging at the Salisbury Reds depot.
The funding is part of the next phase of DfT’s ZEBRA (Zero Emission Bus Regional Area) scheme, and would be used to supply new electric buses on most of the city routes and to surrounding local areas, including the services to and from Stonehenge and the city’s Park and Ride sites.
Managing Director of Salisbury Reds, Andrew Wickham, told Greatest Hits Radio there's two main benefits to bringing electric buses to the city.
"Firstly, it's about reduce carbon, which is really important to limit the rate of climate change and hopefully stop climate change," Mr Wickham explained, adding: "The second benefit, particularly in the city itself, is about air quality, because it, rather than the particulates from diesel engines being emitted into the atmosphere, these are zero emission."
There's a third benefit too, which is the smoother ride the prospective buses will offer, making them 'nicer for customers as well'.
The bid is being made in partnership with Wiltshire Council as government rules stipulate that a local authority has to submit the bid.
"That local authority has to be the local highway authority, which in the case of Salisbury, is Wiltshire Council," Mr Wickham said.
"We've had a long standing partnership with Wiltshire Council and they're good to work with and they've been very, very supportive over this.
"And in fact, they've pledged some money as well."
The cash injected into the bid by Wiltshire Council means Salisbury Reds are asking for slightly less money from the Government: "that should increase the competitiveness and attractiveness of our bid and make us more likely to win," Mr Wickham said.
If successful with the bid, the outcome of which will be known in March, the new buses will hit the roads of Salisbury in 2026.
Any new electric buses would be an improvement on the current electric buses in the Reds fleet.
"They've always been limited by how for they can travel in a day. Our buses go a long way in a day, because they're out all day and many of them are out in the evenings as well."
Cllr Caroline Thomas, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “If successful, this ZEBRA bid will see most of Salisbury’s city network of buses changed to electric, which would not only bring new, state-of-the-art buses and reduce carbon emissions, but also improve air quality in the city.
“We have committed to improving our bus network, reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality in our Business Plan, and if successful, this bid will bring these benefits and more, transforming the city’s transport network."