Going Electric

Plymouth Citybus are gaining yet more electric buses as part of the latest Zero Emission Bus investment:

Go-Ahead, in partnership with the Department for Transport and local authorities, will invest in an additional 45 zero-emissions buses for its operating companies in Hull, Salisbury, Brighton & Hove, Isle of Wight and Plymouth.

Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood visited the team at East Yorkshire Buses yesterday to hear about their plans to decarbonise the bus network across the region.

Go-Ahead’s zero-emission bus fleet is the largest in the United Kingdom with 1,500 zero-emission buses in operation or on order, demonstrating its commitment and leadership in zero-emission transport. Go-Ahead has received government support for 246 zero-emission buses, with some being introduced into service in the next few months.

Customers of East Yorkshire Buses, Salisbury Reds, Brighton & Hove Buses, Southern Vectis (Isle of Wight) and Plymouth CityBus will enjoy quieter and smoother journeys with the added benefit of knowing their travel is environmentally friendly.

Matt Carney, CEO, Go-Ahead Bus commented: “Our leadership and commitment to zero-emission transport is something we’re extremely proud of at Go-Ahead. We’re very grateful to the Department for Transport and our local authorities for this partnership, which will give more customers access to cleaner, greener public transport across the country.”

Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood, said: “Our investment will deliver new zero-emission buses to communities across England by 2027. This funding will not only make bus travel cleaner, greener, and more comfortable, but it will also create jobs, support local economies, and accelerate our journey towards a zero-emission future. From Hull to Hove, there’s an electrifying future on the way for our buses.”

Meanwhile Torbay Council detail their plans for Stagecoach to be the first fully electric fleet in the south west:

Department for Transport (DfT) funding of over £361,000 will provide further support for the delivery of an all-electric bus fleet in Torbay. The additional funds mean that over £7.4million is now available for us to deliver zero emission buses for the area. The Torbay fleet will be the first all-electric fleet in the Peninsula Transport area that covers Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay.

Funding for the new fleet will come from the DfT’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas 2 (ZEBRA) scheme. The scheme was created to assist us to work with local bus operators to make the transition to zero emission bus fleets.

Stagecoach’s Torquay Depot will become their first fully electric depot in the South West of England. This is a landmark achievement, as the award means that Torbay will become one of the few areas in the UK to have an entirely zero emission bus fleet run by our main operator. The transition to an all-electric fleet is made even more significant given that Stagecoach runs around 97% of our local bus network.

The new all-electric fleet of 55 vehicles will deliver real benefits for Torbay. The buses are better designed and more comfortable for passengers. Over the course of the buses’ lifespans, they will result in carbon dioxide savings equal to taking an estimated 2,000 diesel cars off the road. Zero-emission buses will provide additional improvements to the air quality across our streets and towns. This will benefit pedestrians, cyclists and people who live close to our main bus routes.

Delivery of the scheme is proposed as part of the Torbay Enhanced Partnership Plan (EPP). The EPP is an agreement we've made with our bus operators to work together to improve local bus services. The EPP has already been busy providing improvements to our wider bus fleet, by delivering a newer fleet of buses for Torbay Buses on the supported bus network.

The EPP can also confirm that 49 new electric buses have been ordered. The zero emission buses, from manufacturers Alexander Dennis and Yutong, will consist of a mix of single and double deck vehicles. The buses are due to arrive in winter this year. It is projected that by summer 2026, Stagecoach will have a 100% zero-emission bus fleet operating in our area. This will mark an historic moment for our local transport network.

Funding the new electric bus fleet is one part of our significant investment to provide high quality bus services in Torbay. The delivery of a modern and decarbonised transport network is an important element of local travel options. Working in partnership, the EPP will support you to choose to travel how you want to.

Cllr Adam Billings, Cabinet Member for Pride in Place and Parking for Torbay Council, said; "This additional funding will bring the overall funding amount to over £7.4 million which will allow the Stagecoach bus fleet in Torbay to become 100% electric. This is an excellent result for our residents.

“The new buses will be better to travel in and their lack of tailpipe emissions will contribute to improving air quality. This will particularly benefit our town centres as well as cyclists and pedestrians generally.

“Alongside the planned improvements to our bus services, the introduction of new routes, more frequent busses, better quality information and better quality bus stops, the new electric bus fleet will provide an improved public transport travel option while also reducing carbon emissions. I am confident more people will use the modern electric bus fleet as their first option for transport around Torbay."

Peter Knight, Managing Director at Stagecoach South West, said; “The additional funding means we can completely replace our entire fleet in Torbay and remove the diesel fuel tank from our Torquay Depot, marking an important milestone on the road to Net Zero.

"We're making lots of progress in the background, planning for the arrival of the all-electric fleet for the Bay. This will help deliver our shared ambitions to reduce carbon emissions, deliver cleaner air and thriving bus services that support our region. We look forward to welcoming the all-new fleet that will benefit the local community and bus users alike."

The good newest is that the Plymouth Citybus fleet has started to arrive with the first coming down this weekend just gone. I would imaging they will have been hidden away for now so I suspect it will be a while before any official phots are released or allowed from the depot, but keep an eye out for deliveries on their way to Plymouth over the coming weeks!

five hundred new trees for Plymouth

Well it has finally been confirmed by Go Ahead that

Plymouth is to receive 500 new Trees!

The welcome news was published today. Alongside the new trees there will be FIFTY Wright electric double decker buses:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/half-a-billion-pound-investment-in-electric-buses-to-spark-a-new-era-of-green-growth

Up to 500 UK manufacturing jobs are set to be supported as bus operator Go Ahead today (8 October 2024) announces a major £500 million investment to decarbonise its fleet, including creating a new dedicated manufacturing line and partnership with Northern Ireland-based bus manufacturer Wrightbus.

The investment is set to fund the manufacturing of up to 1,200 new zero emission buses over the next 3 years. Built for operator Go Ahead, this investment will accelerate the transition to greener buses across the country including in Plymouth, Gloucestershire, East Yorkshire, London and the Isle of Wight.

On top of directly supporting 500 manufacturing jobs, the £500 million investment for Wrightbus will also support an additional 2,000 jobs across the wider UK supply chain by 2026, helping to get us back on track for growth.

The Transport Secretary will also announce plans to create a new UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel. This panel will bring together industry experts and local leaders to explore ways to ensure the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing, help local authorities deliver on their transport ambitions, and begin to seize opportunities to embrace zero emission transport technologies.

The Transport Secretary is expected to meet with key industry leaders today including Wrightbus owner Jo Bamford and CEO Jean-Marc Gales, to reaffirm the government’s commitment to decarbonising local transport and fostering an environment for investment in the UK manufacturing industry, bringing sustained economic growth and supporting jobs.

The announcement comes ahead of the International Investment Summit, which will gather UK leaders, high-profile investors and businesses from across the world to discuss how we can deepen our partnership to drive investment and growth.

The Transport Secretary is expected to hold several bilateral meetings at the summit with international business leaders and make clear the UK is “open for business” so that she can help attract further investment to support the delivery of our transport priorities across the country.

The Prime Minister will also convene the first Council of Nations and Regions later this week, bringing together first ministers, Northern Ireland’s First Minister and Deputy First Minister and regional mayors from across England, as the government forges new partnerships, resets relationships to secure long term investment with the aim of boosting growth and living standards in every part of the UK.

Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh said:

The number one mission of this government is growing the economy. The half a billion pounds Go Ahead is announcing today shows the confidence industry has in investing in the UK.

This announcement will see communities across the country benefit from brand new, state-of-the-art green buses - which will deliver cleaner air and better journeys.

We’re creating the right conditions for businesses to flourish, so we can support jobs and accelerate towards decarbonising the transport sector.

Under this government, Britain is open for business.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said:

This investment is exactly kind we want to see as we grow the economy. One that creates jobs right across the country.

And that’s what the international investment summit next week is all about too. Showing the world’s biggest businesses and investors why they should bring their jobs – and their money – to the UK.

For every vehicle manufactured, 10 trees will be planted by Go-Ahead and Wrightbus in the towns and cities where the buses are deployed.

Buses, as the most used form of public transport, have been prioritised by this government from the outset. The Transport Secretary has made improving bus services and delivering greener transport 2 of her 5 core priorities.

Last month, the Transport Secretary announced a package of measures to empower local leaders to take back control of their bus services and deliver services based on the needs of communities, to grow passenger numbers and deliver better services for all.

Building on this, the government’s new buses bill is set to be introduced in Parliament by the end of this year and will bring an end to the current postcode lottery by taking steps to improve bus services no matter where you live.

Further details on the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel will be confirmed in due course.

Go-Ahead Bus CEO, Matt Carney said:

This multi-million pound investment and partnership with Wrightbus will accelerate the transition to zero-emission fleet across the UK.

We are proud to be working in partnership with the UK government and local authorities to deliver transformational environmental change for communities, while supporting UK jobs and the growth of the country’s supply chain.

Wrightbus CEO, Jean-Marc Gales said:

The deal with Go-Ahead is hugely significant and represents a huge boost to the UK’s economy. It will support homegrown manufacturing, jobs and skills for the next three years and beyond. We’ve always been proud to support the UK’s supply chain and our Go-Ahead partnership will ensure even more money can be spent securing good green jobs.

We must also not forget that this deal represents a massive step forward in our ambition to help decarbonise the transport sector with our world-leading products. It was heartening today to hear the government reaffirm its commitment to a green transport sector.

The new trees will presumably be split across Plymouth and South East Cornwall alongside the new buses. It is expected that the new trees will be numbered in the planned new Go Ahead Group national fleet numbering system although they probably wont be carried on the actual trees.

An artist impression of a tree has been released although the final trees may differ considerably

Electric Bus Funding

Interesting document regarding the 50 new electric buses for Plymouth:

Information about the subsidy provided by Plymouth City Council

Plymouth City Council is proposing to provide a subsidy of up to £12.3 million to a commercial transport operator Plymouth Citybus Limited to secure the delivery of a project comprising:

• the acquisition of a fleet of 50 zero emission double decker buses (ZEBs) which will cover specified bus routes within Plymouth and to/ from the Rame Peninsula, South East Cornwall
• the provision of related charging infrastructure to support the use of the ZEBs

The project will reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality both directly, from the operation of the ZEBs; and indirectly from the electric buses displacing the current 33 Euro VI type diesel buses and 17 Euro V operating on the routes the ZEBs will operate, whilst, at least, maintaining the level of service enjoyed on the bus routes to be decarbonised.

The subsidy equates to up to 43% of the total project cost of £28.3m. The balance of the project cost will be financed from Plymouth Citybus Limited’s own non-publicly sourced group reserves.

The subsidy itself is financed from the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) 2 Fund (84%); and from Plymouth City Council (6%) and Cornwall Council (10%) which are the relevant local transport authorities for Plymouth and the Rame Peninsula. The Department for Transport element includes £0.8 million contingency funding, which will only be paid in the event of quantified project risks materialising. In the absence of such, the proposed subsidy award by Plymouth City Council to Plymouth Citybus is limited to a maximum of £11.5 million.

Plymouth Citybus is part of a large international company group; the Go-Ahead Group Limited which includes Go-Ahead Holding Limited, the parent company of Plymouth Citybus. The subsidy payment it will receive will be subject to:

• the parent company and/or Plymouth Citybus funding any deficit in the project costs
• the ZEBs operating on the agreed routes for at least 5 years
• the buses to be replaced by the ZEBs being cascaded through Plymouth Citybus Limited’s fleet to remove outstanding Euro IV double deck buses and retro fitted (Euro IV to Euro V) double deck buses from its Plymouth based bus fleet
• additional public benefits being secured, namely the ZEBs meeting enhanced accessibility standards and the ZEB charging infrastructure being available for use by local community groups

All bus operators in the statutory Plymouth Enhanced Bus Partnership were offered the opportunity to partner with Plymouth City Council in its application for ZEBRA 2 funding for Plymouth. Plymouth Citybus took up the offer. All bus operators on the Plymouth Enhanced Partnership Board endorsed the application, in recognition of its wider value to the Bus Partnership.

Without the proposed subsidy the project would not progress and the significant decarbonisation of bus transport and air quality benefits for Plymouth and the Rame Peninsula would not be realised.

Information for third parties

If you wish to comment on matters relevant to the SAU’s evaluation of the Assessment of Compliance concerning Plymouth City Council’s proposed subsidy to Plymouth Citybus, please send your comments before 5pm on the date stipulated in the timetable above. For guidance on representations relevant to the Assessment of Compliance, see the section on reporting period and transparency in the Operation of the subsidy control functions of the Subsidy Advice Unit.

Please send your submissions to us at: SAU-PlymouthBuses2024@cma.gov.uk copying the public authority rosemary.starr@plymouth.gov.uk.

Please also provide a contact address and explain in what capacity you are making the submission (for example, as an individual or a representative of a business or organisation).

Notes to third parties wishing to make a submission

The SAU will only take your submission into account if it can be shared with Plymouth City Council. The SAU will send a copy of your submission to Plymouth City Council together with its report. This is to allow the public authority to take account of the submission in its decision as to whether to create or modify the subsidy or its assessment. We therefore ask that you provide express consent for your full and unredacted submission to be shared. We also encourage you to share your submission directly with Plymouth City Council using the email address provided above.

The SAU may use the information you provide in its published report. Therefore, you should indicate in your submission whether any specified parts of it are commercially confidential. If the SAU wishes to refer in its published report to material identified as confidential, it will contact you in advance.

For further details on confidentiality of third party submissions, see identifying confidential information in the Operation of the subsidy control functions of the Subsidy Advice Unit.

Full details on how to make submissions (buy the 25the September) can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/referral-of-the-proposed-subsidy-to-plymouth-citybus-limited-by-plymouth-city-council

I presume that this sort of referral will be made by all the councils that are handling the money provided through the ZEBRA funding or is Plymouth somehow a different case?

Although no announcement has been made by Citybus yet, I would expect the ADL 400 EV to be the most likely contender for the order such as this one from Stagecoach Oxford:

©Martin Ruthe CC BY-SA 2.0

Plymouth Citybus New Timetables

Plymouth Citybus have now announced their (minor) timetable changes for 14th April

Plymouth Service Changes - From 14th April 2024
Some changes to Plymouth’s bus routes and timetables come into effect from 14th April. Most changes
are designed to improve reliability or are in response to passenger feedback.

Summary of changes

5/5A    

These services will see revised timetables at weekends to improve reliability. On a Sunday, most morning journeys will run up to ten minutes earlier, with afternoon journeys up to five minutes later than present.

8/9

We are pleased to announce additional investment into these services by restoring a Saturday timetable of up to every 15 minutes. Revised times throughout to improve timekeeping; with evening journeys 5 minutes later.

16

Morning peak journeys on weekdays will run five minutes earlier with additional time throughout. Revised timetable on a Saturday daytime to improve reliability. Evening journeys run five minutes later.

23/24

Most journeys run five minutes later throughout the day, Monday to Saturday. Due to ongoing problems with congestion, certain Saturday daytime journeys do not serve Ebrington Street; and instead run via Tothill Road to Exeter Street. Additional late evening journey added, Monday to Saturday.

28        

New service replacing the Eggbuckland side of 60/61. Covers Henders Corner, Deer Park, Culver Way, Charfield Drive, Miles Mitchell, The Ship and Derriford Hospital; with most services continuing to the George Park and Ride site. Together with Service 27 provides a combined 30-minute service to Eggbuckland, and restores a link from Eggbuckland to Derriford Hospital.

33

The current journey on school day afternoons starting at HMS Drake at 15.57 will instead depart Royal Parade at 15.45. Revised times to improve timekeeping.

34        

08.10 journey from George Junction to start at Derriford Hospital. Revised running times in the afternoon peak. Saturday early morning journeys terminate at Derriford Hospital to improve timekeeping. Revised short journeys between Derriford Hospital and Milehouse.

35/A

Timetable revised to improve reliability. Most journeys depart the City Centre 2 minutes earlier on Monday to Saturday, and 5 minutes earlier on a Sunday. Evening journeys depart 5 minutes later.

42

Timetables extensively revised throughout to improve reliability. These will provide Monday to Saturday a consistent ten-minute headway direct between the City Centre and Derriford Hospital, throughout both peak periods. Sunday morning timetable adjusted to improve reliability; with early morning journeys departing earlier than current. 23:55 from Derriford Hospital to the City Centre withdrawn on Sunday nights.

Additional evening journeys added Monday to Saturday between the City Centre and Plymouth Marjon University. This provides a bus up to every 15 minutes into the evenings between the City Centre and Crownhill, with Service 44.

43

Large revisions to times on weekday afternoons to improve timekeeping.
Revised timetable on a Saturday daytime.

44

Revised timetable to improve timekeeping with an extra 5 minutes per journey. Sunday late afternoon journey extends from Crownhill to Royal Parade, but the last journeys from Whitleigh Monday to Saturday will terminate at Crownhill.

50/51

In order to improve reliability across these services, Service 50 will no longer serve the Crownhill Loop; and will instead operate from Crownhill Fire Station to Derriford Hospital via Budshead Way. Revised timetables throughout both services to improve reliability. 23:40 from Derriford Hospital to the City Centre on Sunday nights is withdrawn.

61

This will cover the Honicknowle side of current Services 60 and 61, up to every 30 minutes. On Saturday daytimes, due to ongoing congestion at Transit Way, Service 61 terminates at West Park, Coombe Park Lane.

Meanwhile they are of course happy to announce the new electric buses:

The Go-Ahead Group reaches a milestone with over 1100 zero emission buses - a leader in the UK

• The Go-Ahead Group adds 201 zero emission buses to its regional fleets
• Six of Go-Ahead’s regional bus companies celebrate a share of £112 million joint investment
• Go-Ahead's zero emission bus total exceeds 1100 - the largest in the UK
• The investment will help Go-Ahead reach its decarbonisation targets by 2035

The Go-Ahead Group, a leading provider of public transport services, proudly announces a significant achievement in sustainable public transport with the introduction of an additional 201 zero-emission buses to its fleet at regional bus companies, including Plymouth Citybus, Go Cornwall Bus, Go North East, Pulhams Coaches, Salisbury Reds, Southern Vectis, East Yorkshire Buses, and Brighton & Hove and Metrobus.

This substantial addition, delivery expected by March 2026, will bring Go-Ahead's total zero-emission bus count to over 1100, solidifying its commitment to environmental responsibility and contributing to cleaner air in communities across the UK.

The £112 million pooled investments in this initiative signifies a joint commitment from the Department for Transport, Go-Ahead’s bus companies and our local authority partners:

• 50 ZEBs (Zero Emission Buses) with £28.5 million allocated to Go South West’s, Plymouth Citybus, and Go Cornwall Bus operators.
• Go South Coast operators, Southern Vectis and Salisbury Reds will add 45 zero emission buses to its fleets, comprising an £24.1 million investment. 
• £35 million for Brighton & Hove Buses and Metrobus, with 59 ZEBs - 43 for its Metrobus fleet in Crawley and 16 for its Brighton & Hove Buses division.
• At Go North East, Riverside depot gets a further £5.7 million invested for 11 ZEBs.
• Pulhams Coaches celebrates 15 ZEBs at its Bourton-on-the-Water depot, with an £8 million investment serving its rural communities.
• And finally, in Hull, East Yorkshire Buses will introduce 21 ZEBs with a total of £10.9 million investment.

This is BIG NEWS...

Quickly posting this during my lunch hour as its pretty big news…

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, has today (22 March 2024) announced the winners of £143m Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) programme.

The fund sees 25 councils win a share of the money, which will be invested in 955 buses. Rural areas have been prioritised in this second tranche of ZEBRA funding, with the first £40 million for rural communities.

The south west is to receive the largest share of the funding, with £43,400,000 due to go to the region to pay for 352 buses. The second biggest share is to go to the south east, which is set to receive £30,200,000 for 179 buses (see below for a breakdown of how much each region is due to receive).

Today’s investment follows over £270 million to 16 Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) and councils from the first round of ZEBRA funding, bringing the total government support to roll out zero-emission buses to more than £413 million across 41 LTAs.

Over half of electric buses from the first round of the ZEBRA scheme are manufactured in the UK.

The new zero-emission buses follow £4.7 billion of reallocated HS2 funding invested directly into the North and Midlands through the Local Transport Fund.

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said: “As part of our plan to improve local transport across the country, we’re providing a further £143 million to improve journeys for bus passengers particularly in rural areas, with almost a thousand brand new, zero-emission buses due to hit the road.

“This latest investment into our bus fleet comes on top of the £3.5 billion we have invested into our bus network since 2020, protecting and improving bus routes into 2025 as well as extending the £2 bus fare cap until the end of 2024, made possible by reallocated HS2 funding.”

South West

Cornwall Council - £1,300,000, 8 buses

Devon County Council - £5,300,000, 41 buses

Gloucestershire County Council - £5,900,000, 58 buses

North Somerset Council - £2,100,000, 24 buses

Plymouth City Council - £9,500,000, 50 buses

Somerset Council - £2,200,000, 25 buses

Torbay Council - £7,100,000, 49 buses

West of England Mayoral Combined Authority - £6,600,000, 74 buses

Wiltshire Council - £3,400,000, 23 buses

South West total: £43,400,000, 352 buses

https://www.busandcoachbuyer.com/zebra-2-funding-announced/

so I make that 148 new buses for Devon & Cornwall…

I will start looking at these schemes in more detail over the coming week but felt it good to get this out there today!