Council bidding for £15 million to bring 78 new electric buses to Nottingham

Nottingham City Council and Nottingham City Transport (NCT) have submitted a business case as part of a funding bid to the Government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas fund (ZEBRA).
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The bid asks for £15 million towards the cost of 78 new electric buses, which would result in the full electrification of NCT’s single decker fleet - and support the company’s ambition to become the UK’s first carbon neutral bus operators.

Funding will be used to fully electrify NCT’s Trent Bridge depot - where the single deck fleet is based.

The new buses will replace all of NCT’s existing single decker fleet and serve on 18 bus routes across the city and into the county.

NCT has been testing loaned electric buses at its Trent Bridge depot ahead of the council bidding for £15 million to bring 78 new vehicles to its fleetNCT has been testing loaned electric buses at its Trent Bridge depot ahead of the council bidding for £15 million to bring 78 new vehicles to its fleet
NCT has been testing loaned electric buses at its Trent Bridge depot ahead of the council bidding for £15 million to bring 78 new vehicles to its fleet

Coun Rosemary Healy (Lab), portfolio holder for transport said: “Nottingham is leading the way with our green buses.

"We already have 120 bio gas and 29 electric buses in our city and – if we are successful with this bid – 78 new electric buses will be a welcome sight.

“Greener buses help to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality, which has a major impact on the health of our citizens and the planet.

"Plus, newer buses offer a more comfortable journey for passengers too.

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"It’s great that we’re working with NCT to help them become one of the UK’s first carbon neutral bus operators, and Nottingham a carbon neutral city by 2028.”

David Astill, NCT managing director, added: “NCT already operates one of the greenest and cleanest bus fleets in the country.

"We purchased our last new diesel bus a couple of years ago and with 23 more bio-gas double decks due this spring and the exciting prospect of 78 electric single deck buses to follow, NCT is ambitious and committed to make our fleet even greener.”

If the bid is successful, the new buses should appear on streets by the end of the 2023-24 financial year.

"The final business case was submitted on January 31 and an announcement is expected from the Department for Transport in the spring.

NCT has also been testing loaned electric buses at its Trent Bridge depot, which is set to be electrified if funding is successful.