A fleet of 159 electric buses will serve Oxford and its surrounding areas after a bid for Government funding was approved.
Oxfordshire County Council has been awarded £32.8 million from the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme.
Along with £6 million from the council itself and £43.7 million from bus companies Stagecoach and the Go-Ahead Group, which includes the Oxford Bus Company, Thames Travel, and City Sightseeing Oxford, the scheme will deliver the electric buses and the infrastructure to charge them in a package worth £82.5 million.
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The new electric buses will be used on bus routes operating wholly within the Oxford Smart Zone, an area covering all of Oxford and stretching from Kidlington in the north to Sandford in the south, and from Cumnor in the west to Wheatley in the east.
They will save an estimated 9,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year – the equivalent of taking more than 6,000 cars off the road. They could start to be delivered to Oxfordshire’s roads between the summer of 2023 and the spring of 2024.
Bill Cotton, Oxfordshire County Council’s director for environment and place, said: “This is wonderful news for Oxfordshire and a major leap forward for transport decarbonisation and cleaner air in the county. Along with other transport schemes proposed in Oxford, this new fleet of electric buses will transform our public transport system and encourage more people to travel by bus.
“We are looking forward to working with our partners at Stagecoach, Go-Ahead and Oxford City Council to create a sustainable and reliable public transport system.”
The funding will support plans to create a zero carbon transport network in Oxford.
Last month, Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council announced updated proposals to introduce a city wide workplace parking levy, traffic filters and a wider zero emission zone.
The proposed traffic filters will help reduce bus journey times by at least 10 per cent in the city. Consultations on the traffic filters, zero emission zone and workplace parking levy will take place in summer this year, with a decision due at the county council’s Cabinet in the autumn.
Tom Bridgman, executive director for development at Oxford City Council, said: “In order to achieve the maximum benefits of having a modern electric bus fleet, Oxford’s roads need to have more space for buses, cyclists, and pedestrians to move freely, and quickly – without being stuck in traffic.
“The city council will be working with Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford’s bus companies on making the case for the traffic-reduction measures which would facilitate the delivery of these new electric buses, one of the key benefits for Oxford and the county as a whole.”
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