buses


Hydrogen: A costly dead end for bus fleet decarbonisation 11/07/2025 Professor David Cebon, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cambridge, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Road Freight, and co-founder of the Hydrogen Science Coalition, argues against the role of hydrogen in bus fleet decarbonisation.
The Highland Council upgrades transport network software 08/05/2025 The Highland Council is investing in new Omnibus software to improve the efficiency and reliability of their transport system.
Arson attack destroys buses for vulnerable children 28/04/2025 An arson attack on a Somerset Council compound in Taunton has destroyed four minibuses used for providing transport for vulnerable children and young adults.
Brighton & Hove to add more e-buses to fleet 08/04/2025 A further 13 electric buses are set to hit the streets of Brighton in autumn 2026 in addition to the 16 already planned for next spring.
Brighton ditches electric buses for diesel 21/02/2025 Brighton and Hove City Council, which has pledged that the region will be carbon neutral by 20230, has ditched electric buses in favour of diesel power.
Council takes delivery of 15 buses to support transport for children 04/02/2025 Lancashire County Council has taken delivery of 15 new buses to support the delivery of transport solutions for special needs children and adult social care services.
Warrington welcomes first electric double deckers 28/10/2024 The first electric double decker buses have arrived in Warrington under plans to entirely replace the town’s fleet of 105 diesel buses.
Lambeth wellbeing bus goes electric 03/10/2024 A new electric health and wellbeing bus has hit the streets of Brixton.
Highland Council expands in-house bus fleet 06/09/2024 The Highland Council has taken delivery of two new double decker buses.
Major new Oxford electric bus fleet launches 19/01/2024 The first of 159 electric buses have gone into service as part of a £82.5m project run by Oxfordshire County Council in partnership bus operators.
Hertfordshire to introduce first electric buses 20/12/2023 Hertfordshire County Council and bus operator Uno have agreed a deal to phase out part of their diesel fleet and introduce 27 new electric buses.
Wolverhampton welcomes new electric minibus 24/11/2023 The school run in Wolverhampton just got greener thanks to a new electric minibus operated by the city council.
Work begins on ‘world-leading’ electric charging hub in Oxford 17/07/2023 Work has begun to install one of the biggest electric charging hubs in the UK, which will be located at the depot of Go-Ahead Group’s Oxford Bus Company.
Brand new electric buses hit the streets of Aberdeen 12/07/2023 First Aberdeen has taken delivery of 24 brand new electric buses ensuring its fleet is now 40% emission free.
Thousands more green buses needed to reach net zero 30/06/2023 More than 5,800 extra green buses are needed in England by 2030 to reach net zero and support the levelling up agenda, according to a new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).
New electric minibus arrives in Islington 04/04/2023 Islington Council has welcomed a new electric minibus to its accessible community transport fleet.
Multi-million-pound grant delivers over 117 electric buses 02/03/2023 A £25m Government grant has supported the production of 117 new British-made zero emission electric buses.
Wolverhampton launches new fleet of accessible minibuses 14/02/2023 Wolverhampton’s pupils will be able to travel to school in style thanks to a brand new fleet of accessible minibuses, the council has announced.
New bus drives activities to young people 24/11/2022 A youth bus has been launched by Enfield Council, offering a safe place for young people to gather with friends and supportive adults.
Coventry set to become UK’s first all-electric bus city with £150m investment 18/11/2022 A £150m project to create the UK’s first all-electric bus city by 2025 has taken a major step forward with 50 new greener buses on the streets of Coventry.
Adequate bus funding 'crucial for survival of network' 15/11/2022 Campaigners have warned the chancellor that the country ‘cannot afford’ to lose more bus routes and called for more cash support, including targeted funding for councils that missed out on recent funding to improve bus services.
Peers call for more grant funding to improve transport projects 09/11/2022 The Government should improve the way transport projects are funded as the current system of local authorities bidding for capital funding is 'costly and inefficient', according to a new report.
Nottingham council celebrates £34m electric bus investment 25/10/2022 Nottingham City Transport’s first zero-emission electric single deck buses will soon hit the city’s streets thanks to a multi-million-pound investment by the transport operator.
Highland Council to expand in-house school transport service 19/10/2022 The Highland Council will be running a pilot project to expand its in-house school transport provision.
Council launches £1.35m rural minibus pilot 18/10/2022 Gloucestershire County Council is set to launch its £1.35m rural minibus pilot to deliver more transport options in the county’s most rural areas.
Glasgow and Aberdeen to get new electric buses 22/09/2022 First Bus Scotland is to spend £35m on 74 new electric buses and infrastructure, taking emission free buses in Aberdeen to more than 50% of the city’s fleet.
Go-Ahead launches new Voltra electric buses in North East 01/09/2022 Go-Ahead’s largest electric bus operator, Go-North East, has taken delivery of nine Voltra electric buses to expand its fully electric bus fleet in the North East region.
First Bus places UK’s largest ever electric bus order 01/09/2022 First Bus has placed one of the UK’s largest electric vehicle (EV) bus orders following successful bids with local authorities to a Government scheme aimed at promoting the roll-out of zero emission buses.
Holyrood launches £500,000 scheme to boost zero-carbon bus sector 10/08/2022 The Scottish government has launched a £500,000 scheme aimed at helping local authorities and smaller operators work towards a zero-carbon bus sector.
Labour warns of bus service cuts as COVID cash ends 22/07/2022 Labour has warned that a wave of bus service cuts will hit the country this summer as COVID support funding ends, and has written to transport secretary Grant Shapps calling for action.
Scotland's bus sector gets a £26m lifeline 23/06/2022 The Scottish Government has confirmed an additional £25.7m to extend recovery funding for the country’s bus sector but the current support scheme will end in October.
Live testing of UK’s first full-sized autonomous bus begins 25/04/2022 The UK’s first full-sized autonomous bus will take to the roads of Scotland for the first time this week as live testing begins for project CAVForth.
Councils ‘shafted’ over £1bn bus funding allocations 05/04/2022 The Government has announced a raft of local transport cash allocations but the news was overshadowed by angry local reactions, notably from South Yorkshire Mayor Dan Jarvis who exclaimed: 'We have been shafted'.
Greater Manchester secures £35.8m to enhance green bus fleet 30/03/2022 In a major boost to Greater Manchester’s net zero ambitions the combined authority has secured £35.8m in funding to introduce 170 green buses to the region.
Consultation on end date for sale of new non-zero emission buses launched 29/03/2022 The Department for Transport has launched a consultation on setting an end date for the sale of new non-zero emission buses, coaches and minibuses.
West Midlands gets ready for fleet of 124 hydrogen buses 28/03/2022 A fleet of 124 new environmentally friendly hydrogen fuelled buses will be taking to the streets of the West Midlands following the approval of a £30m Department for Transport grant.
Local areas to share £200m to help fund zero emission buses 28/03/2022 Twelve areas in England will share grants totalling nearly £200m to help fund zero emission buses and charging or fuelling infrastructure.
Sheffield City Council launches new shuttle bus 25/03/2022 Sheffield City Council has announced plans to provide free travel around the city centre with a new shuttle bus.
Liverpool City Region takes steps to bring bus services under public control 28/02/2022 Plans to franchise bus services across the Liverpool City Region have taken a step forward, said mayor Steve Rotheram.
Council-owned bus company welcomes new fleet of zero-emission buses 31/01/2022 Council-owned bus company Cardiff Bus has taken delivery of a new fleet of 36 Yutong E12 zero-emission single-decker buses as the operator strives to reduce its carbon emissions.
Coventry set to welcome 130 zero-emission double decker buses 19/01/2022 A fleet of 130 zero-emission double decker buses will be introduced next year as part of a £140m project to make Coventry the UK’s first all-electric bus city.
The role of hydrogen buses in decarbonisation 21/12/2021 Nick Power, hydrogen business development manager – EMEA, Haskel Hydrogen Systems Group, looks at the role of hydrogen buses in decarbonisation.
Bus operators warn of £5bn funding gap 26/11/2021 Bus operators have warned of a multi-billion-pound funding gap between plans by local authorities and bus operators to improve services and the funding promised by the Government.
Councils warn investment in bus services is vital to meet climate targets 10/11/2021 The Government must fully fund the concessionary bus fares scheme if councils are to decarbonise fleets, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned.
Greater Manchester plans carbon neutral transport network 09/11/2021 Greater Manchester has set out its ambition to become the first city-region with a carbon neutral transport network.
Derry to have zero-emission bus fleet by 2023 05/11/2021 Derry will become one of the first cities in the UK and Ireland to have a fully zero emission bus fleet after receiving a £30m funding boost.
Council plans to have fully electric bus fleet by 2030 01/11/2021 Leicester City Council has set out how it plans to have an entirely electric fleet of buses by 2030.
Chancellor confirms £9.5m funding to electrify Kent CC’s Fastrack fleet 28/10/2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak yesterday confirmed as part of the spending review that £9.5m will be awarded to Kent County Council from the Department for Transport’s ZEBRA fund.
Go-Ahead Group calls for bus decarbonisation roadmap 27/10/2021 One of Britain’s largest bus operators has welcomed news of funding for transport schemes in the Autumn Budget but urges a clear roadmap for decarbonisation of the national bus fleet.
Government ‘must step in’ to deliver on 4,000 zero-emission buses promise 25/10/2021 A transport charity is calling for more to be done to deliver a zero-emission bus fleet as figures reveal only a tiny proportion of buses on the road are currently electric.
‘Carbon Battle Bus’ rolls into Tees Valley 22/10/2021 A 100% electric ‘Carbon Battle Bus’ rolled into the Tees Valley this week, just 24 hours after the region was selected by the Government to lead the UK’s net zero ambitions.
Government criticised for ‘slow progress’ in zero-emissions buses rollout 20/10/2021 The UK’s three bus manufacturers today joined forces to urge the Government to speed up its rollout of 4,000 UK-made zero-emissions buses, ‘parking the bus’ in Westminster to drive home the point.
Solihull trials autonomous shuttle bus 27/09/2021 Solihull has become one of the first places in the UK to see driverless vehicles take to its roads as part of new passenger trials.
Wrightbus to showcase two new zero-emission buses 21/09/2021 The manufacturer of the world’s first hydrogen-powered double deck bus will unveil two new single deck zero-emission buses at the Millbrook Proving Ground this week.
Your route to minibus procurement 09/09/2021 Minibuses are an important and flexible part of your fleet, but the procurement process can be daunting. Crown Commercial Service is here to help you source a minibus that meets your needs.
Leicester’s green buses get Blues’ names ahead of Wembley trip 09/08/2021 A fleet of electric buses that have brought cleaner, greener travel to Leicester are now bearing the names of the players who helped win the FA Cup for the city for the first time.
Birmingham gets first hydrogen bus 28/07/2021 Birmingham City Council has unveiled the first of its 20 new hydrogen buses, which are set to be in operation later this year.
Council mini-buses converted to mobile COVID testing units 13/07/2021 Two Glasgow City Council mini-buses have been converted into mobile COVID testing units which will offer rapid tests to people without symptoms.
Reading council submits expression of interest for electric buses 12/07/2021 Reading Borough Council has submitted an official expression of interest to the Government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Area fund (ZEBRA) to roll out electric buses across Reading.
Fresh livery for vaccination shuttle buses in Manchester 08/07/2021 Shuttle buses decked out in new livery are ready to hit the road in Manchester, ferrying people from south-central neighbourhoods to the Belle Vue vaccination centre.
First shortlist unveiled for £120m zero emission buses funding 07/07/2021 The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced its first shortlist from the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme, providing £120m to support the roll-out of zero emission buses across England.
First fully electric double decker buses arrive in Edinburgh 29/06/2021 Edinburgh has received its first fully electric double decker buses, thanks to major funding from SP Energy Networks working in partnership with Lothian Buses.
Liverpool City Region to double planned hydrogen bus fleet to 40 10/06/2021 Liverpool City Region’s planned hydrogen bus fleet could double in size, according to the combined authority.
Hereford set to introduce a fleet of electric buses 08/06/2021 The Government has announced the latest round of towns deals, which will see 26 towns across England share over £600m.
Aberdeen’s hydrogen bus fleet notches up first 100,000 miles 27/04/2021 First Aberdeen and Aberdeen City Council are celebrating this week after their hydrogen double-decker bus fleet notched up its first 100,000 miles of operation.
Transdev invests £2.4m to launch East Lancashire bus network 22/04/2021 North of England bus operator Transdev is investing £2.4m in an all-new fleet of 23 North West-built Strata Ultra buses from manufacturer Mellor as it prepares to launch a new network of routes across East Lancashire.
Gateshead council welcomes ‘futuristic’ electric bus fleet 30/11/2020 The North East’s first carbon-neutral fully electric bus fleet is being introduced onto the streets of Gateshead, the local authority has announced.
First-ever zero emission bus fleet in West Yorkshire unveiled 13/10/2020 The first-ever zero emission bus fleet in West Yorkshire has been unveiled in Leeds.