£13m funding for fleet of new electric buses in Sussex

The new zero-emission buses are designed to improve air quality

Author: Jason BeckPublished 22nd Mar 2024

A new fleet of nearly 60 electric buses will be arriving in Sussex, as the county gets more than £13 million in Government funding.

Brighton and Hove City Council is being given £2.9 million to buy 16 zero-emission single and double decker vehicles.

A further £10.1 million in conditional funding will go to West Sussex County Council for 43 more electric buses.

The government is investing millions of pounds to roll out 955 zero-emission buses in England to improve air quality and replace older diesel buses.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:

"As part of our plan to improve local transport across the country, we’re providing a further £143m to improve journeys for bus passengers particularly in rural areas, with almost a thousand brand new, zero-emission buses due to hit the road.

"This latest investment into our bus fleet comes on top of our £3.5bn we have invested into our bus network since 2020, protecting and improving bus routes into 2025 as well as extending the £2 bus fare cap until the end of 2024, made possible by reallocated HS2 funding."

Alison Edwards from the Confederation of Passenger Transport said:

"The transition to a zero-emission bus fleet is a huge opportunity for Britain to lead the world in creating a modern zero emission bus network that offers a growing number of passengers one of the most sustainable forms of transport."

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