NCT invests £34m in electrified fleet
Nottingham City Transport (NCT) has invested £34m in its first fleet of fully electrified single-decker buses.
The authority has appointed EV fleet and battery storage specialist Zenobē to supply charging infrastructure at Trent Bridge Bus Garage, which will house the new vehicles, with the first 12 expected to enter service in late 2023.
The zero-emission buses will be manufactured by Yutong and delivered by Pelican Bus & Coach.
The fleet will consist of 78 vehicles in total with each featuring full electric air-conditioning, free Wi-Fi and USB charging points.
£15.2m from the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) Fund has been used to finance the project.
Liam O’Brien, NCT’s head of engineering, said: “Following a rigorous public procurement process and operational trials of several electric buses, Yutong Bus & Coach and Zenobē were a clear winner to deliver our first electric buses. The buses are superior in terms of space and comfort for passengers and have air conditioning as standard. With the software and charging service provided by Zenobē, the buses can do a full days’ operation on a single, overnight, charge, which is essential for ensuring we can keep them all on the road throughout the day, providing a better, cleaner service for our customers.”
Ian Downie, head of Yutong UK at Pelican Bus and Coach, said: “We are absolutely delighted and honoured to have been awarded this contract to work in partnership with NCT. The vehicles will be fully completed at our family-owned dealership in Castleford, and we look forward to supporting Nottingham on their zero-emission journey.”
Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Highways, Transport and Parks, Councillor Audra Wynter, said: “These new state-of-the-art electric buses are fantastic news for Nottingham. Getting more people using greener public transport is a key part in tackling the twin emergencies of toxic air pollution and climate breakdown. These electric buses will help Nottingham to reach our carbon neutral 2028 goals while getting people around the city quickly and easily as part of our award-winning bus network.”
Steven Meersman, co-founder and director at Zenobē, added: “We’re thrilled to be delivering our first infrastructure in Nottingham and to be working in collaboration with Nottingham City Transport. We know that bringing 78 buses to the local area will have a huge impact on emissions and bring the City of Nottingham closer to its ambition of being carbon neutral by 2028. We are proud to be a part of this project. Working across the public and private sector is essential to scaling emissions faster, and we’re looking forward to delivering a greener service to the city.”
