Depot works begin for region’s first fleet of zero emission electric buses
Work has started at a depot to bring the first fleet of zero emission electric buses to South Yorkshire, as part of a partnership between Stagecoach and South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. (SYMCA)
Electrification work has begun at the Rawmarsh depot ahead of the arrival of the fleet of 23 zero emission electric buses.
The new electric Yutong vehicles will be introduced on the region’s bus network in the spring and will feature on the 22x and 221 routes which connect the Dearne Valley across Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster.
The project is part of South Yorkshire’s first successful bid for Zero Emission Bus Regional Area funding (ZEBRA) from the Department for Transport (DfT) in partnership with SYMCA and Stagecoach.
DfT contributed £8,351,721 as part of the ZEBRA bid and SYMCA contributed £2,683,051 of its City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement provided by Government.
The infrastructure needed to charge and maintain the electric buses also reflects a £2.5m investment in the Rawmarsh depot in Rotherham.
The contractor, EO, will install the 23 output chargers as well as two mobile workshop chargers at the depot which will facilitate the running of the zero-emission fleet.
South Yorkshire Mayor, Oliver Coppard, said: “We think around 200,000 people in South Yorkshire live in areas vulnerable to air pollution, and 1 in 20 deaths here are related to poor air quality.
“That’s a challenge we simply have to address, and why we need to get cleaner, greener vehicles of all sorts on our roads.
“To meet that goal we’ve funded electric bus projects that are underway across the region as part of the Zebra 1 project and we also have a second bid for ‘Zebra 2’ funding submitted to the Department for Transport with Stagecoach and First.
“Not only will they help improve public transport in South Yorkshire, they’ll make a real contribution to us hitting our net zero goals, and making South Yorkshire’s air cleaner. “
Stagecoach Yorkshire managing director, Matt Kitchin, said the work at Rawmarsh “marks a huge step towards the future of sustainable travel in South Yorkshire as we await the arrival of the new buses.”
He added: “Sustainable forms of public transport are key to reducing congestion and improving air quality across the region and we look forward to these state-of-the-art vehicles encouraging more people to make the switch to bus travel as well as making local air cleaner for all our futures.”
A total of 27 electric buses will be rolled out across South Yorkshire as part of the first stage of ZEBRA, including a further four of these vehicles in Sheffield.
