Bus operator completes £30m electric single-deck project

Nottingham City Transport (NCT) has completed a £30m project to roll out 62 electric single-deck buses, making the entire fleet in the city electric.

The operator said it was a "major milestone" in the company's transition to a zero-emission fleet, with the final 14 buses recently taking to the roads.

The Grey Line 53 and 54 service completed the conversion, serving Arnold, City Hospital, Ring Road, Queen's Medical Centre and Clifton, it said.

NCT added it would now start the electrification of the double-deck fleet after receiving funding of £4.5m, with 13 buses planned to enter service next Autumn.

The company said it invested £17.7m in the electric single-deck project and £12.3m was secured from the Department for Transport's Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) Fund with the help of Nottingham City Council.

Linda Woodings, the council's executive member for regional development, growth and transport, said the delivery of the buses in 18 months was an "incredible achievement".

She added there would be a "real impact on local air quality" and the council's carbon neutrality goals, with the equivalent of 3,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide being saved each year.

"Over the lifetime of the buses, they will also make a significant contribution to wider efforts to improve air quality, with an estimated 31 tonnes of harmful nitrogen oxides and 777kg of PM2.5 [particulate matter] removed from the atmosphere."

NCT said it now planned to deliver 19 electric double-deck buses through £4.5m of funding from the East Midlands Combined County Authority.

Managing director David Astill added: "Our attention will now turn to the double-deck fleet and I am pleased to confirm that we have placed an initial order for 13 electric double-decks which will be delivered in the autumn of next year."

Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.