Nottingham City Council has claimed it will be home to the UK’s first all-electric Park and Ride bus service from 2016, after funding from the city's Workplace Parking Levy helped purchase 13 new vehicles.
Boosting the city’s electric fleet to 58, the new buses were paid for with £2.1m of parking levy cash as well as a £1.4m Green Bus Fund grant from the Government.
Using electricity generated from local waste incineration and PV panels for fuel and heating, the buses from Chinese manufacturer BYD are set to start operation in the Midlands in 2016.
Andy Gibbons, Head of Nottingham City Council’s Public Transport team said: ‘The electric buses already operating in the city help to reduce noise and improve air quality. We are committed to providing sustainable transport solutions and more electric buses will reduce operating costs and deliver environmental and health benefits when compared to operating traditional diesel powered buses.’
The city already benefits from the Linkbus service, the largest electric bus fleet in Europe, which saves the council around £18,000 in fuel costs each year when compared to standard diesel buses. The vehicles produce zero emissions, apart from their diesel-powered heaters.
In total the fleet costs £14m, with around half being funded through the Workplace Parking Levy, matched with Green Bus Fund rounds and additional contributions from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund and the Local Transport Plan, the city council said.
The new buses will be used on Park and Ride services to and from the city centre from the Queens Drive and Racecourse Park and Ride sites.
