Leicester is set to become home to one of the first fully-electrified bus depots in the UK outside London.
An extra 18 brand new electric buses will be rolled out across the city after Leicester secured nearly £3 million in government funding.
The new UK-made electric buses will be operated by First Bus Leicester and the company will be operating a fully electric fleet by March next year.
The funding for the scheme is an additional investment from the Zero Emission Buses Regional Area (ZEBRA) scheme, which was launched in 2021.
The ZEBRA scheme allows local transport authorities to bid for funding for zero emission buses and the infrastructure to support them.
In total Leicester has benefitted from nearly £22 million in funding to support 114 zero emission buses.
Roads minister Richard Holden said: “Buses are the most popular form of public transport, and these new UK-made zero emission buses will help make them more attractive still by providing cleaner, smoother and more reliable services across Leicester.
“We’re providing an extra £3 million to roll out 18 new electric buses to provide residents in Leicester with better, cleaner and quieter journeys, as we step up a gear to reach net zero faster and level up transport across the country.”
All the additional buses funded through the ZEBRA scheme will run on battery electricity.
The government says zero-emission buses are often cheaper to run and more reliable – reducing repair costs and minimising delays.
The new buses will be manufactured in Northern Ireland by Wrightbus and operated by First Bus.
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.”
She added: “We cannot wait to see our customers’ reactions once the project is complete, as we know the difference this will make to the city.
“Electric really is the future and we’re glad we can take our customers on this journey with us.”
The project in Leicester also forms part of the government’s wider £3 billion National Bus Strategy to improve bus services and introduce lower and simpler fares.
