As reported by the Coventry Council website Published Tuesday, 09 February 2021, Coventry will receive £50m to fund 297 all-electric buses that will be on city streets by 2025.
The full details from the Coventry Council website is as follows :
Coventry is one of the two cities chosen by the government among the 19 cities that submitted to be the UK’s first all-electric bus city – demonstrating how the scheme could help solve low air pollution. Oxford has also become a positive.
The financing will be obtained after the final business case has been presented and approved by the WMCA on 19 March.
The scheme seeks to improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas pollution and reduce the expense of buses operating. Electric buses will also have a more convenient passenger experience and will help to expand the number of passengers using buses to ride across the area. Highway officers believe that about 55 tonnes of nitrogen dioxide will be saved per year.
The £50 million will be spent by the Department of Transportation and the work on placing an all-electric bus fleet on the streets of Coventry will begin in April.
The bid was won by the Coventry City Council, the Warwickshire County Council and the Transportation for the West McCains (TfWM), which is part of the Joint Jurisdiction of the West McCains (WMCA).
As well as support for new cars, the grant would also cover investment in larger facilities, such as charging stations and improvements to the power grid.
A additional £50m in funding from local bus companies in new hybrid buses would be funded.
The report will be debated next week by the councillors.
Councilor Jim O’Boyle, Member of the Cabinet for Work and Transformation at the Coventry City Council, said: “It is fantastic for Coventry and will make an important contribution to addressing air pollution. We already have a host of projects to boost air quality, which would enable us to surpass our goals.”
“It is also further evidence that the city is adopting and introducing emerging technology. Innovation is part of the city’s DNA.
“We also have an outstanding relationship with bus companies including National Express Coventry, and together we have worked to make our public transport network healthier, greener and safer.
“Our approach is to make a long-lasting impression on those who live and work here and visit the area. That’s just what the all-electric bus fleet is going to really deliver.”
The all-electric bus city initiative will also contribute to ensuring that all potential buses running in the city after the winter of 2025 have to be all-electric.
David Bradford, Managing Director of National Express Coventry, said:
“As part of the relationship with the West McCain Bus Alliance, we are working very closely with Transport for the West McCains and the Coventry City Council to provide efficient, sustainable and renewable transport to the areas we represent. So, we’re very happy that Coventry is going to become one of the UK’s first all-electric bus towns.
“The fastest and cheapest way we can disinfect our environment and fight climate change is to get on a bus. We already have a robust network of bus services across Coventry, and we have frozen fares again this year, meaning that bus travel continues to be inexpensive and open to everyone.
“We all have a role to play in making cleaner, greener decisions, but it’s worth noting that a double decker bus will carry up to 75 cars off the road. By using public transit, we will reduce the amount of traffic on our highways, which in turn makes commuting easier, and safer the air for everyone’s lungs.
“First last year, National Express proudly declared that any new bus we purchase would be zero emissions. This was followed by the arrival of 10 fully electric buses in Coventry at the end of the summer.
“We look forward to bringing hundreds more zero-emission buses to the city of Coventry, complementing other measures delivered through the Bus Alliance to further improve new and existing bus customers.”
Coventry has one of the biggest networks of charging points for electric cars in any city outside London, and investment in buses will supplement other projects that feature and encourage the use of electric vehicles in Coventry, such as the electrification of the Council’s own fleet of vehicles and the promotion of electric taxis.
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