Oxfordshire County Council, in collaboration with Go-Ahead’s Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach, has unveiled a major initiative to introduce 159 electric buses in the city of Oxford, UK. The fleet consists of 104 buses manufactured by Wrightbus and 55 by Alexander Dennis Limited.
As part of the £82.5 million project, two electric charging hubs have been established at the city’s bus depots at Cowley House and Network Oxford. These charging hubs, powered by EDF Energy’s Oxford Superhub network, are designed to supply sufficient electricity to enable all 159 buses to cover up to 200 miles each day.
The deployment of the initial zero-emission vehicles has already commenced, marking a significant milestone in the effort to transition the city’s public transportation services to electric. Oxford Bus Company will operate the 99 new-look 2024 StreetDeck Electroliners and five GB Kite Electroliner single-deckers manufactured by Wrightbus. Meanwhile, Stagecoach will manage the operation of the 55 Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV double-deckers.
Luke Marion, Managing Director of Oxford Bus Company, expressed enthusiasm about the project, stating, “This is a historic moment in our journey towards transforming our city services to electric. Our first tranche of electric buses is now in service and are already starting to improve air quality and make bus travel an even more attractive option for people to travel around Oxford.”
The funding for this ambitious project was made possible through the support of £32.8 million from the government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme, with an additional £6 million contributed directly by the council. The bus operators also invested £43.7 million in this environmentally conscious endeavour.
