Norwich to get 70 zero emission buses
The city will also host one of only two fully electric bus depots outside of London
Last updated 2nd Mar 2023
Norwich is to get 70 zero-emission buses and host one of only two fully electric bus depots outside of London under new plans.
Norfolk Council Council says its secured an additional £11.4m from the government to pay for the new vehicles.
The bus routes that these additional zero emission buses will serve all operate in Greater Norwich and will run through the city centre, which is currently declared an Air Quality Management Area.
Cabinet member for Highways, Infrastructure and Transport Graham Plant said: “This is an extraordinary boost to our ambitions to run a net-zero transport system in Norfolk and this amount of funding means that Norwich will have one of the biggest full electric bus depots in England.
"The support that First bus has shown for this demonstrates the excellent working relationship we have with our bus operators here in Norfolk and how working together can help to achieve the very best for our County.”
The national picture
It's part of a plan which will see nearly 120 new battery electric buses be deployed in England as part of a £25.3 million Government investment.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said 117 of the zero-emission vehicles will be rolled out in Yorkshire, Norfolk and Hampshire.
The buses will be manufactured in Northern Ireland by Wrightbus and operated by First Bus.
Which areas will benefit?
The local authorities which will use a share of the funding from the Zero Emission Buses Regional Area scheme to purchase the vehicles are: Norfolk County Council; Portsmouth City Council; Hampshire County Council; West Yorkshire Combined Authority and City of York Council.
This brings total Government funding to almost £300 million for up to 1,395 zero-emission buses in England.
What does the government say?
Roads minister Richard Holden said: "Buses are the most popular form of public transport, and these new British-built zero-emission buses will support hundreds of high-quality, manufacturing jobs in Northern Ireland, grow our economy and help clean up the air in towns and cities across the country.
"We're providing an additional £25.3 million to roll out 117 new buses to provide residents in Yorkshire, Norfolk and Portsmouth with better, cleaner and quieter journeys, as we step up a gear to reach net zero faster and level up transport across the country."
What does First Bus say?
Piers Marlow, Managing Director at First East of England said: “This additional funding will allow us to electrify our five most frequent cross-city routes, accounting for nearly two thirds of all our bus journeys operating through Castle Meadow.
"This significant joint investment will provide a benefit for our passengers, whilst contributing toward improving the air quality in the city. It will also see one of our two Norwich depots fully converted to operate an entirely zero emission fleet, with the installation of associated charging infrastructure and removal of all diesel equipment.
“We continue to work closely with Norfolk County Council and other stakeholders, to deliver improvements to bus services across our networks, and progress the decarbonisation of our bus fleets across the region.”