Gloucestershire County Council has announced that the procurement of 42 battery-electric buses will require an investment of around £20 million (approximately €23 million). Stagecoach West will contribute most of this sum—£17 million—while the county and the UK government will jointly fund the remaining amount. Although the specific bus models have not yet been disclosed, the first units from this order are expected to enter service as early as next year.
This procurement will introduce battery-electric buses to some of the region’s most critical and heavily used routes, including routes 1, 2, 2A, and 71 in Gloucester, as well as routes 94, 95, 94X, 41, 42, 43, and T in Cheltenham. According to the County Council, “This will bring some great improvements to those key routes operating in Gloucester and Cheltenham and mean that all Stagecoach buses to and from Tewkesbury will be fully electric.”
With the addition of these 42 electric buses, Gloucestershire’s bus fleet will be approximately one-fifth electrified, according to officials. Lisa Spivey, Chair of Gloucestershire County Council, stated, “We’re proud to support this major investment in zero-emission transport. These new electric buses will play a vital role in cutting carbon emissions, improving local air quality, and encouraging more people to choose public transport. It’s a key step in our ambition to create a greener Gloucestershire and reach net-zero by 2045.”
The county’s bus depot is currently being upgraded with charging and maintenance infrastructure for electric buses. A solar installation will also be incorporated as part of this process. The overall project to establish an electric bus ecosystem in Gloucestershire is supported by the government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) initiative.
gloucestershire.gov.uk, linkedin.com
This article was first published by Cora Werwitzke for electrive’s German edition.
