The procurement of the new zero-emission electric buses is backed by an £8m investment from the Government, with a further £18m being provided by bus companies Arriva and Centrebus.

With the vehicles due to be introduced by September 2026, the council will be on track to ‘meet its target of providing zero emission, all-electric buses across the whole city network’, the local authority confirmed in a statement yesterday.

Following the fleet expansion, there will be a total of 260 electric buses operating across the city, all of which are due to be active on roads by March 2027.

The move is also predicted to cut Leicester’s carbon footprint by the equivalent of over 3000 tonnes of CO2 annually, as well as more than 1000 kilos of NO2.

Cllr Geoff Whittle, asst city mayor for transport and climate said: ‘Providing zero emission buses across our whole city network is a huge achievement, made possible by the excellent work being done by the Leicester Buses Partnership.

‘The bus companies have made a huge commitment to cleaner, greener travel in Leicester, and the council has had great success in securing additional funds from the Department for Transport which has been very supportive of Leicester’s aims.

‘Together, we are bringing to life our ambitious ten-year plan to improve services, vehicles and routes across Leicester, and encourage more people to use the city’s public transport network.’

Sign up here to receive our free weekly news bulletin and quarterly e-book.