The £3 million funding is for 18 new zero-emission buses in Leicester manufactured in Northern Ireland by Wrightbus. In total Leicester has benefitted from nearly £22 million funding from the ZEBRA scheme to support 114 electric buses. That scheme was launched in 2021 to allow local transport authorities to bid for funding for ZEBs zero emission buses and supporting infrastructure.
Janette Bell, managing director at First Bus, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that Leicester will become one of our blueprint bus depots of the future, helping us to refine and iterate this new concept so we can roll it out across the rest of the UK. At First Bus, we’re continuing to trailblaze with our partners to ensure we meet our net zero targets, supported by co-funding from the Department for Transport.
“As leaders in sustainable mobility, we are fully aligned with the Government’s ambitions for a net zero carbon transport system. Through this co-funding with the ZEBRA scheme, we’re excited to electrify another five of our UK depots before March 2024, and look forward to introducing even more electric buses to our constantly growing fleet.
Roads minister Richard Holden said: “Buses are the backbone of our transport network, providing affordable travel for commuters, families, and pensioners, and providing an economic lifeline for towns and cities around the country. This multimillion investment for Leicester’s clean transformation, coupled with the new Bus Centre of Excellence, will help drive the country’s bus sector recovery and provide passengers with cleaner, more affordable buses that run on time.”
He was referring to an £815,000 initiative to upskill, recruit and retain a new generation of bus professionals. The Bus Centre of Excellence will bring together expertise from local government, bus operators and industry to boost skills and diversity in the bus sector.
Hosted by the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, it will provide training opportunities, direct access to resources and industry experts, as well as networking events to uplift the capacity and capability of the whole sector, working to encourage people to get back on the bus, according to the Department for Transport.
The move brings total government funding from the ZEBRA scheme to almost £300 million for up to 1,400 zero emission buses in England.
Neil Johnstone, president, Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, said: “This partnership (alongside other government initiatives) will see CIHT help to bring together a wide range of professional skills and knowledge from both the public and private sector to facilitate change to local infrastructure, service delivery and the sector across the country – with the ultimate aim of improving bus services.”