Isle of Wight awarded £4.5m for fleet of new electric buses
The new zero-emission buses are designed to improve air quality
A new fleet of electric buses will be arriving on the Isle of Wight.
The island is being given £4.5m to buy 22 zero-emission single and double decker vehicles.
Operator Southern Vectis will also upgrade the charging infrastructure at its depot in Newport.
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."