A NEW fleet of up to 166 brand new electric buses could be coming to Oxford after Oxfordshire County Council's proposals made the final shortlist in a government scheme.

If Oxford is successful in winning the requested funding, the electric buses would operate in an area stretching from Kidlington in the north to Sandford in the south, and from Cumnor in the west to Wheatley in the east.

More than £78 million could be invested in the local public transport network should the bid for funding make it through the final round of the government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme.

Phil Southall, Oxford Bus Company managing director, said: “This project represents a major investment by bus operators and demonstrates our long-term commitment to continuing to improve air quality in our city, in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council.

"There is a lot to do to ensure delivery, including gaining confirmation of the additional government funding, and introducing a number of the bus priority schemes in the councils Connecting Oxford traffic-reduction plan to overcome congestion and ensure buses can be fully effective.”

The ZEBRA initiative was launched in March 2021 and forms a £120m commitment from a wider £3bn government fund allocated to improve bus services under the national bus strategy. The county council submitted its expression of interest for the scheme in July.

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