First York depot on path to fully-electric future

Representatives from First Bus and City of York Council have ‘switched on’ a new fleet of zero-emission buses.

For use in York, the buses are transforming the operator’s depot into one of the first outside London to be fully electric. The vehicles herald a new ‘York Electric’ branding, the first of which are now operating on Service 4 from the city centre to Acomb. Electric buses will then gradually be introduced on to selected corridors in the coming weeks with services 1 and 5 expected to follow soon.

As part of the overall investment, the First Bus depot is currently being transformed with the installation of power charging and infrastructure to handle the full zero-emission fleet, which will total 86 buses.

The full order of 53 Wrightbus StreetDeck Electroliner double-deckers and the single-decker GB Kite Electroliner feature audio-visual next-stop technology, USB charging points and Wi-Fi connectivity. The fleet represents a total investment by First Bus of £13m supported with £10.2m funding secured by City of York Council from the Government’s Zebra scheme.

The buses have a range of up to 200 miles on full charge.

“An even greener transport revolution beckons in York and we are leading this change” – Andrew Cullen, Managing Director of First Bus in North & West Yorkshire

Andrew Cullen, Managing Director of First Bus in North & West Yorkshire, said: “An even greener transport revolution beckons in York and we are leading this change.

“We’re proud to unveil these latest zero emission buses and are confident they will appeal to our customers and attract more people to consider bus travel by realising the real impact this has in reducing congestion, creating cleaner air and supporting the York economy.

“It is real evidence of our continuing successful partnership with City of York Council in bringing major improvements to bus services and supporting a shared ambition for a net-zero transport system and reducing carbon emissions in the city.”