Nottingham to expand electric bus fleet

Part-funded by the government, the council now operates one of the largest electric fleets with 50 buses serving the city

Nottingham city council is to further expand its fleet of electric buses, partly funded by the government’s Green Bus Fund.

The council has invested a total of £3.2 million in 10 new electric buses, which produce zero exhaust emission of air pollutants, bringing the size of its electric fleet to 50.

One of the electric CentreLink buses on Nottingham’s roads

The anticipated fuel savings for the 10 buses is estimated at £250,000, while electricity to recharge the buses could be supplied by energy from waste via Enivroenergy, representing carbon savings of around 40% compared to conventional buses.

The council has also established a network of 60 charging points, with more planned over the next year.

Nottingham, which is believed to have one of the largest electric bus programmes in Europe, also used funding from the city’s Workplace Parking Levy, which has been used to finance almost half of the £13 million fleet.

From September 2015, electric buses will run on all local Linkbus services in the city — a network comprising 40 routes to workplaces, health and education sites, and district centres.

Councillor Jane Urquhart, Nottingham city council portfolio holder for Planning and Transportation said: “It’s fantastic news for Nottingham that the city council has been awarded this additional Green Bus funding. The use of electric buses will be expanded across the Linkbus fleet, taking the total number of electric buses in Nottingham to 50 by September 2015.

“As a council we are committed to providing sustainable transport solutions and more electric buses will mean reduced operating costs as well as the clear environmental benefits when compared to operating traditional diesel powered buses.”

Green Bus Fund

In May last year, Nottingham was announced as one of four winning bidders for the £12 million Green Bus Fund, which will see 213 new low carbon buses introduced across England, including 31 fully- electric buses (see airqualitynews story).

Last month, public transport operator Arriva launched an electic bus trial in Milton Keynes, with eight vehicles running between Bletchley and Wolverton and able to run 17 hours a day (see airqualitynews story).