ZEBRA 2 electric buses in the South-West

[whole diary]

[infoman]

Report on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) West local new at 06:25am on Friday 22 march.

74 electric buses to be introduced in 2025

Report should be shown again at XX:55 and XX:25am past the hour

[Red Squirrel]

This was one of several transport infrastructure projects that WECA^» (West of England Combined Authority - about) 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^» (Department for Transport - about)) announced the Zero Emission Bus Regional Area 2 (ZEBRA 2) fund. This enabled local transport authorities (LTAs^▸ (Local Transport Authority)) 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^▸ (Benefit Cost Ratio)) 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#

[Red Squirrel]

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

[GBM]

https://www.somerset.gov.uk/news/somerset-to-get-25-new-electric-buses-for-the-countys-network-in-major-14-7m-investment/
((Vehicles for Taunton))
New electric buses will serve communities in the county thanks to a joint funding bid by Somerset Council and First Bus South and huge investment from the operator.

The 25 new double-decker and single decker buses will be funded by a £2.2 million grant from the Department for Transport’s (DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)) Zero Emission Bus Regional Area scheme, along with a £12.5 in investment from First Bus South which operates Buses of Somerset, so are coming to Somerset at no extra cost to the Council.

The buses will operate from First Bus South’s Hamilton Road depot in Taunton which is being upgraded to include charging infrastructure.
..............snip..........

[Red Squirrel]

Interesting that rural areas have been prioritised. Is this the best place to deploy electric buses?

[Bob_Blakey]

Under the same ZEBRA scheme Devon will apparently be getting 41 electric buses for use in Exeter & North Devon.

https://www.devon.gov.uk/news/devon-awarded-5-3-million-for-zero-emission-buses/

[GBM]

And only 15? for Cornwall.
8 for the Truro Park and Ride.
Unfortunately with routine services, etc, at least 9 would have been better, so still expect to see frequent diesel deckers on replacement duties.

https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/council-news/transport-streets-and-waste/cornwall-amps-up-on-climate-ambitions-as-funding-announced-for-county-s-first-electric-buses/

[GBM]

The Truro park and ride contract I believe is up for renewal this month.

[Red Squirrel]

I have renamed this topic to reflect the wider scope.

[Western Pathfinder]

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

[GBM]

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.

[Red Squirrel]

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.

[broadgage]

Interesting that rural areas have been prioritised. Is this the best place to deploy electric buses?

Not in my view. Rural bus routes tend to be longer, and with higher average speeds than most urban routes, and with limited opportunities for part electrifying the route, or for charging at stops.

Urban buses burn a lot of fuel when stopped in traffic or moving at walking speed, electric power is very economical under such conditions.

OTOH^▸ (On The Other Hand) use on a rural route is a good demonstration of the technology.

[TonyK]

Interesting that rural areas have been prioritised. Is this the best place to deploy electric buses?

I wondered if it could be that rural areas have lost so much public transport in recent times, and this is the quickest way to restore a bit of interest. Bristol's bus services have been roundly criticised over the years, but the root causes of poor transport there are driver availability and traffic congestion. A lot of Bristol routes get more buses in an hour than we in the sticks have in a day - or week in some cases. Rural services tend to be poorly used because of the time it takes to get from A to B, diverting into every little village within a gnat's crotchet of the route map on the way. Services are few and far between. leading to drops in passenger numbers, leading to reductions in services.

Then again, it could be because there's an election looming.

Not in my view. Rural bus routes tend to be longer, and with higher average speeds than most urban routes, and with limited opportunities for part electrifying the route, or for charging at stops.

Urban buses burn a lot of fuel when stopped in traffic or moving at walking speed, electric power is very economical under such conditions.

OTOH^▸ (On The Other Hand) use on a rural route is a good demonstration of the technology.

I think that's two pluses and a minus in one post. A record?

One of the Somerset rural routs is the 22 from Taunton to Wellington. That's about a half-hour, or an hour for the 6 per day that extend to Tiverton. The latter does not seem to be part of this magical transformation - sadly, as it stops at the end of my street. Taunton to Wellington is only about 7 miles, say 15 miles the round trip. It looks like there are about 15 round trip journeys, on a pattern that would fit 2 buses. Allowing for the small drain while standing at stops, I am sure two fully charged buses would manage that route comfortably without needing a top-up charge during the day. If that is an example of the sort of route to be worked by electric buses, I would see it as a cautious, but safe, step forward to prove the technology. Other chosen routes may be longer and faster, to try all variations on the theme. If this all goes well, I can see the number of new diesel buses dropping sharply in a relatively short period.

Devon has a mix - Exeter is very much urban, and nearly as bad as Bristol to get around. The 21/21A are the very opposite, being from Westward Ho! or Appledore (which doesn't have an exclamation mark) to Ilfracombe (which should have). That's about 25 miles including the drops into Bideford and Barnstaple, taking the best part of two hours according to the timetable. Services are hourly for the longest ride, and I would imagine no more than 4 round trips in the day for each. Again that should be within reach in summer. Winter, when batteries are not so efficient, may be different.