Three months after introducing the first zero emission electric buses to its fleet, the areas of Clifton, Ruddington, Meadows, Basford, Bulwell, Mapperley, Lambley, Woodborough and West Bridgford will be next to benefit from a further 24 new electric buses joining the Nottingham City Transport fleet in early 2025.
The announcement comes as the first batch of electric buses operating on Green 11, Pink 30, Blue 39, 40, 41, 42 and Red 50 have reached 250,000 zero emission kilometres in the city and carried just over three quarters of a million passengers.
Every single deck bus in NCT’s fleet will be electric within the next 18 months. 24 of the 62 buses are already in use, with a further 24 due in early 2025 and a further 14 following in 2026.
The Yutong electric single deck buses achieve a 79% saving in well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions compared to existing Euro VI diesel buses and have already prevented 225.3 tonnes of CO2e being emitted. This will reach 3,800 tonnes of CO2e each and every year when the electric bus project is fully delivered.
As expected, the buses have easily done a full day in service on the single overnight charge, with the charging infrastructure delivered, supplied and maintained by Zenobē, who work with 90% of the major bus operators in the UK.
From early 2025, customers travelling on Navy 3/A, 48; Green 5, 7, 8, 9; Sky Blue 46, 47 and Yellow 70, 71 will enjoy travelling on high quality, zero emission electric Yutong buses which boast:
- air conditioning as standard
- re-positioned visual next stop screen, including a rear facing screen which can be seen from the wheelchair bay
- extra leg room between seats
- bigger buggy bay
- hearing loop system fitted
- no tip up seats in the wheelchair bay, which helps reduce conflict over use of the space
- USB-C charging points
- full colour destination displays that are easier to see from a distance and in the dark
Anthony Carver-Smith, NCT Head of Marketing and Projects said, “Since introducing our brand new zero emission electric buses three months ago in April, they have received high praise from our customers for their high specification, new features and quiet, comfortable ride. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Nottingham City Council, Zenobē and Yutong as we expand the number of electric buses in Nottingham, supporting the city’s ambitious aim to be a carbon neutral city by 2028”.
The total cost of the electric bus project, which includes the cost for the new buses and infrastructure, comes to £30m. £12.3m of that cost is being supported from the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) Fund, secured by Nottingham City Council. The remaining £17.7m is investment by NCT.
Councillor Neghat Khan, Nottingham City Council’s Executive Member for Transport said, “It’s brilliant to see these new stylish electric buses making such a difference both to passengers and to our air quality and carbon emissions as we strive for a carbon neutral Nottingham. Nottingham City Council is proud to work in partnership with our publicly owned bus company – these electric buses are another example of what can be delivered when people are put ahead of profit. We look forward to working with our new Mayor and the Department for Transport to electrify all of Nottingham’s buses.”
NCT’s website hosts an informative page full of facts, figures and FAQs about the electric bus project at www.nctx.co.uk/electricbus
Posted on 09 July 2024
