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All across the Great Western territory / Buses and other ways to travel / Re: ZEBRA 2 electric buses in the South-West
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on: March 24, 2024, 09:23:03
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Just as well that the buses aren't called ZEBRA 3 they would have to be painted Red with a White Flash for those old enough to remember
Had to look that up. Well within my age group, never really got into them. I asked my good friend Huggy Bear, and he told me the word on the street was that it was someone’s call sign. Starsky and Hutch episodes could have been a lot shorter if it had only occurred to them to ask Huggy sooner.
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All across the Great Western territory / Buses and other ways to travel / Re: electric buses in Bristol
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on: March 22, 2024, 11:21:31
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This, on the other hand, does confirm it! Regional Mayor secures cash to power up 70+ electric buses
More than 70 fully electric buses - along with the charging infrastructure needed to support them - will be coming to the West of England, Mayor Dan Norris announced. The Mayor has successfully secured £6.6 million of funding in partnership with First Bus so the region can get on with a plan to roll out 74 electric buses (67 double-deckers, and seven single-deckers) to replace more polluting vehicles by the end of 2025.
The £6.6m secured by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority unlocks the project – being matched by a major £37m investment from First Bus, and means both can get on with delivering the electric-powered proposals for locals. The cash will also be used to fully electrify First Bus’s Hengrove depot - including installing the power charging and infrastructure to handle the introduction of zero-emission buses.
These will be the region’s first fully electric, zero-emission buses and are a key part of Mayor Norris's plans to build a sustainable West of England bus network, building on new and innovative schemes like Birthday Buses to get more passengers onto the West’s buses. As the local transport authority, the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority has a duty to tackle poor air quality.
Dan Norris, West of England Mayor, said:
“Cutting-edge, zero-emission buses will help attract more passengers onto the region’s buses and cut carbon.
“Transport on our roads makes up around 40% of all our carbon emissions; we have to hurry and move from petrol and diesel to cleaner solutions. These new buses will help us follow our green plan to decarbonise our transport network.
“We’re investing to ensure that the West has a bus fleet to be proud of – one that’s better for passengers, and for our planet, too.”
Doug Claringbold, First West of England Managing Director, added:
“This is a real landmark moment for the West of England, as we secure our first electric buses in the region, demonstrating our ongoing commitment towards a zero-emissions bus fleet by 2035.
"We’re delighted that our customers will benefit from over £37 million that we as a company are investing in this upgrade to our buses and transforming the Hengrove depot.
“We’ve worked tirelessly with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority to get to this point, and we cannot wait to get these vehicles on the road."
Through measures like funding the introduction of £2 fares - four months before government – rolled out by First Bus, and introducing new and innovative services like Birthday Buses and WESTlink, the Mayoral Combined Authority has grown passenger numbers by 13% in 2023, which is translating into better services for locals.
Under the Bus Service Improvement Plan, the Mayoral Combined Authority has pledged for all the region’s buses to be zero emission by the end of 2035.
Source: WEÇA
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All across the Great Western territory / Buses and other ways to travel / Re: electric buses in Bristol
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on: March 22, 2024, 11:11:45
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This was one of several transport infrastructure projects that WECA» voted to support in January. That vote has probably launched more press and TV articles than most of what WECA do! According to (erhem) Bristol Rail Campaign's website: Zero Emissions Buses In October 2023, the Department for Transport (DfT» ) announced the Zero Emission Bus Regional Area 2 (ZEBRA 2) fund. This enabled local transport authorities (LTAs▸ ) to bid for funding to support the rollout of zero emission buses across England.
WECA had to submit its funding bid very quickly to meet the DfT’s deadline. This meant that First Bus were the only operator able to produce a proposal achieving the strict ZEBRA 2 value for money and deliverability criteria. The First Bus proposal achieved a Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR▸ ) of 2.05, which is considered ‘High’ value for money.
The funding would cover up to 75% of the cost of infrastructure and 75% of the cost difference between a zero emission bus and conventional diesel buses and required partnership working with operators to develop a suitable bid. North Somerset Council has submitted a separate bid for £25m of funding.
The WECA bid, if successful, will include:
Upgrade of Hengrove depot including electrical charging infrastructure to support new electric bus fleet A total of 74 electric buses – 67 Double Decker and 7 Single Decker (new zero emission buses to replace existing Euro 5 and 6 diesel buses) Zero Emission Buses could begin operation in November 2025.
First Bus put in for planning permission back in November 2023 (Bristol City Council, ref: 23/04448/F). This gives a good indication of how much kit is required. The DfT have made an announcement on this today, but I can't see anything that specifically says the WECA/First bid has succeeded: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/143-million-for-better-bus-journeys-as-almost-a-thousand-zero-emission-buses-to-hit-the-road#
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Journey by Journey / Bristol (WECA) Commuters / Re: Brabazon, Bristol
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on: March 19, 2024, 14:48:59
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Preparation Works Begin to Transform Brabazon Hangars into South West's First ArenaSite preparation and enabling work has begun on the transformative project that will breathe new life into the iconic Brabazon Hangars in Bristol. This historic site, once a vital part of Britain's aviation past, is set to be reborn as a leading live entertainment and cultural hub for the South West.The initial phase of the project began with decontamination of the site carried out by Omega Environmental Services. This will be followed by demolition of non-essential structures before starting the main construction programme. YTL Construction UK▸ , a new company that will be part of the international YTL Group, will be responsible for transforming the historic Brabazon Hangars into the premier music venue for Bristol and the South West, and the fourth largest indoor Arena in the UK. With over 60 years of experience delivering complex and innovative projects across diverse sectors, including rail, infrastructure, performing arts centres, and iconic high-rise developments, the new company will be building on the success of the group model based in Malaysia. "We're pleased with the progress and are pushing forward, albeit slower than originally planned." says Andrew Billingham, CEO▸ of YTL Arena Bristol. "Handing over the Hangars to Omega represents a pivotal milestone. We have tackled challenges head-on making crucial decisions to expedite the opening while ensuring we deliver one of the premier arenas in Europe. Once main construction has started, we estimate it being a two-and-a-half-year build programme." ...contiunes at source Source: YTL
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All across the Great Western territory / Fare's Fair / Re: Swanage Railway goes cashless
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on: March 16, 2024, 23:36:57
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Cash costs money to process (eg taking it to the bank) Indeed, but so does a card transaction. Dave I have some reservations about going cashless, despite the fact that I very seldom carry it. Having said that: A few years ago I was in my local pub and asked which form of payment they preferred. They very much preferred contactless, explaining that the cost of obtaining a cash float from the bank far outweighed the fees for contactless payment.
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