Liverpool City Region places multimillion-pound fleet order with UK bus maker
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has chosen UK bus maker, Alexander Dennis to provide it with 58 new eco-friendly buses.
Last March the authority was awarded £9.4m from the Government towards the cost of the new electric double deck bus fleet, which was matched by LCRCA for a total of £31m.
The authority has now confirmed Scotland-based Alexander Dennis as the supplier of its Enviro400EV zero-emission buses.
The buses are expected to join the city region’s current fleet later this year.
Publicly owned by the combined authority, they will be operated by a commercial bus operator ahead of the introduction of franchising from 2026 onwards, which will give the region more control over its bus services and signals the end of the Tory government’s privatisation of bus services across the region after the passing of the Transport Act in 1985.
The Enviro400EV is part of Alexander Dennis’s next generation of zero-emission buses. It has been designed to maximise its environmental benefits and testing certified by the Zemo Partnership has confirmed its best-in-class energy requirement of only 0.67kWh/km over the UK Bus Cycle alongside a market-leading 97% grid-to-wheel charging efficiency.
Building all 58 Enviro400EV buses in the UK will support 1,900 skilled jobs and more than 60 apprenticeships at Alexander Dennis as well as further significant employment at the manufacturer’s 8,000 suppliers across the UK.
LCR Mayor, Steve Rotheram, said: “Because they’re built right here in Britain, they’re helping to support thousands of good, well paid jobs and apprenticeships.
“Buses are the backbone of our public transport network – around 80% of all public transport journeys in our region are taken by bus. But for too long, our communities have been left with a second-class service that simply doesn’t work for them.”
He added: “That’s why we’re taking back control of our buses and putting the public back at the heart of public transport. These new, state-of-the-art, all-electric double deckers are another step towards building the London-style transport system our region deserves – one that’s reliable, affordable, and works for the people it’s meant to serve.”
Alexander Dennis president and managing director, Paul Davies, said: “We’re honoured to support the team at the combined authority and Mayor Steve Rotheram as they work to further improve bus services across the Liverpool City Region.
“The 58 new Enviro400EV double deckers we’re building will cut out tailpipe emissions and offer passengers a smoother, quieter journey. They will also support British jobs and apprenticeships across our own network of facilities as well as in our extensive supply chain, ensuring that public money is reinvested in our economy.”
He added: “Political leaders like Mayor Steve Rotheram deserve huge credit for the support they are providing to British bus manufacturers, recognising we are a key contributor to growing the UK economy, and we look forward to working with the other mayoral combined authorities in future to bolster the electric bus revolution.”
