Millions of bus passengers will enjoy cleaner, more reliable and more comfortable journeys as the Government invests a further £143 million to roll out almost a thousand new zero-emission buses in England. Buses

Transport Secretary Mark Harper has confirmed that 955 zero-emission buses will hit the road as 25 councils receive funding to decarbonise their bus fleets, with rural areas prioritised as part of the Government’s plan to improve local transport. 

The new investment will make local bus fleets more efficient, more comfortable and more sustainable while improving the local journeys that so many people rely on. 

The funding comes from the second round of the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) programme, which will see new electric buses in towns, villages and cities across England, including the most rural parts of the country, many of which will get zero-emission buses for the first time. 

Thanks to the ZEBRA scheme, no other European country registered as many electric buses in 2023 as the UK, with zero-emission buses accounting for almost half of all new large buses introduced last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). 

Today’s investment follows over £270 million to 16 Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) and councils from the first round of ZEBRA funding, bringing the total Government support to roll out zero-emission buses to more than £413 million across 41 LTAs.

The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) welcomed the announcement. Alison Edwards, Director of Policy & External Relations at the CPT said:

“CPT welcomes this latest allocation of £143m from Government to help accelerate vital public and private investment in new zero emissions vehicles and charging infrastructure.

“We also welcome Government’s recognition of the particular difficulties faced by rural areas in moving to zero emission bus fleets, as set out in CPT’s Rural Zero Emission Bus Taskforce’s (RZEBT) recent report .”

“The transition to a zero emissions bus fleet is a huge opportunity for Britain to lead the world in creating a modern zero emission bus network that offers a growing number of passengers one of the most sustainable forms of transport.”