Oxford upgrades to one of Britain’s largest electric bus fleets
The English city, already a leader in green and active travel, is getting 159 new zero-emission vehicles, worth £82.5million.
Partnering with transport firm Go-Ahead Group, Oxfordshire County Council was awarded £32.8million from the UK Government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme. A further £6million came from the authority’s own budget, with bus operators contributing the remaining £43.7million.
104 of the buses will be delivered by Oxford Bus Company, and 55 by Stagecoach. Those responsible for the scheme believe it will be a major boost to sustainable transport in the region, which already has a number of pioneering green travel solutions in operation.
Last year, Environment Journal published an in-depth feature on the city, looking at the groundbreaking Zero Emission Zone, the largest electric vehicle charger in Europe, and new street technology prototypes aimed at overcoming logistical issues preventing domestic charge points being installed across Britain’s terraced housing stock.
‘This is a historic moment in our journey towards transforming our city services to electric. Our first tranche of electric buses is now in service and are already starting to improve air quality and make bus travel an even more attractive option for people to travel around Oxford,’ said Luke Marion, Oxford Bus Company Managing Director.
‘Decarbonising buses is an exciting project – and we have demonstrated that with the right strategic partnership working between the public and private sector, we can unlock investment to make it happen,’ he continued. ‘We look forward to working with Oxfordshire County Council on important initiatives going forward to encourage people to travel by bus.’
More on green buses:
Exclusive: White paper highlights need to electrify public transport
Image: Oxfordshire County Council