A further £90m investment in zero-emission buses, more than doubling the electric fleet in the West of England

Over £90m is being invested in more electric buses in the West of England as figures reveal 750,000 bus passengers each week will travel electric in the region by next summer.

The extra 160 zero-emissions buses will bring the West of England's total to 258 - almost half the region's fleet.

First Bus is investing almost £70m into the project with a further £20m government funding from the latest round of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) scheme, secured through the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.

Alongside more than doubling the West of England’s fleet of electric buses, the project will also see two more of the region’s depots electrified at Weston Island in Bath and Lawrence Hill in Bristol – meaning four of the company’s five depots in the region will be electrified by next year, alongside Bristol Bus Station.

This latest round of funding builds on recent news from the region which has seen £59m of investment in electrifying 98 buses and two depots at Hengrove in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare, which was officially unveiled last month.  This latest announcement means 100% of its fleet at Hengrove will be electric. 

By next summer, the West of England’s 258 zero-emission buses will transport about 750,000 passengers per week on 37 key services, and will take the region a step closer to operating a fully electric fleet by 2035. Of the 160 new zero-emission buses, 27 will be repowered vehicles – converting mid-life diesel buses into electric vehicles.

This latest move towards a greener fleet will offer customers state-of-the-art electric buses, improving air quality and significantly reducing carbon emissions. With each bus saving about 75 tonnes of CO2 each year – the equivalent to taking 54 cars off the road – this is a major milestone for the UK business and the region.

Doug Claringbold, Managing Director for First Bus in the West of England, said:

“Today is yet another ground-breaking moment in our commitment to have a zero emissions fleet within 10 years. Just three months ago, First Bus in the West of England had no electric buses, we’re now a year away from nearly half our fleet being electric and nearly all our depots being electrified – that’s a phenomenal achievement.

“Last month there was a real buzz among our teams, customers and stakeholders when we officially unveiled our electrified depot at Weston-super-Mare and passengers took their first journeys on our electric buses, and I cannot wait for even more of our region to go electric.

“To be more than doubling the number of electric vehicles, transforming four out of five of our depots and ensuring three quarters of a million customers a week can travel electric shows a real commitment to making bus travel smoother, quieter and greener for our region.”

The new buses for the West of England are part of a bigger, UK-wide announcement by the Department for Transport. Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood, said:   

“I’m thrilled to announce this £38 million investment, which will deliver 319 new zero-emission buses to communities across England by 2027. This funding will not only make bus travel cleaner, greener, and more comfortable, but it will also create jobs, support local economies, and accelerate our journey towards a zero-emission future.  

“By backing local councils and UK manufacturers, we are putting the power in the hands of communities, while helping to deliver on our vision of a sustainable, green transport network.”