Liverpool plans putting 20 hydrogen buses in service

Funding is due to be approved for a new project which is seeking to bring 20 hydrogen-powered double-decker buses to the Liverpool City Region.

The project’s business case and funding is set to be approved at a Combined Authority (CA) meeting on 19 March. The buses will be directly paid for by the CA and will be publicly-owned. The new vehicles will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

The project is set to secure a funding boost of up to £12.5m from the Transforming Cities Fund (TCF). The plans form a key part of the Metro Mayor’s ‘Vision for Bus’, which commits to using the powers available through devolution to build what it describes as a better, more reliable and affordable bus network for the Liverpool City Region.

It is anticipated that the buses will initially serve the City Region’s busiest bus route, the 10A between St Helens and Liverpool city centre, operated jointly by Arriva and Stagecoach.

Plans for the hydrogen bus project also include the building of refuelling facilities, which will be the first of their kind in the north-west. Construction on the new hydrogen refuelling facilities is planned to begin later in the year.

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “In the Liverpool City Region we are already leaders in green technology and the low-carbon economy and this project, which if approved, will bring 20 brand new hydrogen-powered buses to our streets is another very exciting step forward.

“The new state-of-the-art vehicles will help our city region tackle poor air quality and achieve our ambition of being net zero carbon by 2040. And, like the new trains for Merseyrail network, they’ll be owned by the people of the Liverpool City Region and can be built to serve their needs.

“It’s another example of how we’re using the power of devolution to make things greener and cleaner and improve our transport system to make it more reliable, attractive and affordable for everyone who lives and works here.”