Zero-emission electric bus project gets £8m boost

Plans to create a fully electric zero-emission bus fleet in Bradford will be "fast-tracked" by 18 months after £8m in extra funding was secured, the council has said.

The authority - which was ordered by the government in 2018 to improve the city's air quality - has pledged to bring levels of air pollution within legal limits "in the shortest time possible".

Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said "cleaner, better buses" were vital for the city's future.

"The hard work making the case to government for investment into zero-emission buses in Bradford is now starting to make a difference," she said.

"We are making a switch to zero-emission buses with the early adoption of the infrastructure needed to support them."

The first of the fleet of electric buses would be on the road in Bradford from spring next year, according to the council.

The bus depot on Bowling Back Lane, which will house the buses from October 2028, would undergo upgrades to install advanced chargers and smart charging technology, a spokesperson said.

A total of 15 electric buses already run between Keighley and Bradford.

The project is funded with £8m from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Department for Transport together with £6.2m from West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.