A fleet of 124 new environmentally friendly hydrogen-fuelled
buses will be taking to the streets of the West Midlands
following the approval of a £30 million Department for Transport
grant.
It follows a successful bid to the Zero-emission Bus Regional Areas
(ZEBRA) fund to promote cleaner and greener bus
transport and will cover the cost of a refuelling facility as
well as the new vehicles.
24 of these new vehicles will be articulated tram-style buses set
to run on the new Sprint bus priority
route along the A34 and A45 between Walsall, Birmingham
and Solihull.
Hydrogen fuelled buses emit only water vapour and therefore will
improve air quality and contribute to a reduction in the bus
network’s carbon footprint, part of the region’s green transport
revolution and supporting the #WM2041 climate change
targets. Green
hydrogen will be used, which is generated from renewable energy,
to ensure the scheme is fully zero emission.
The funding tops up private bus company investment in bus fleets
over the next three years to accelerate the switch from diesel
buses to clean and green vehicles. Transport for West Midlands
(TfWM), which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority
(WMCA), will now work with bus company partners and the wider
hydrogen production industry to get the fleet up and running.
The West Midlands is already leading the way with 20 hydrogen
double decker buses, bought by Birmingham City Council and
operated by National Express West
Midlands. It means the region will have 144 hydrogen buses on
the streets, the largest fleet in the Western World.
Last year the region secured £50 million Government funding
to create the UK’s first All Electric Bus City in
Coventry by 2025 – a project which will also deliver
cleaner air and lower carbon footprint and see up to 300 fully
electric buses operate across the city.
Pete Bond, director of integrated transport services with TfWM
said: “Buses are the most used form of public transport in the
region and this is welcome Government investment in our network.
These hydrogen buses, the All Electric Bus City scheme in
Coventry and the roll out of electric vehicle charging facilities
we are planning shows how the West Midlands is leading the way on
decarbonising our transport and making good progress on achieving
our net-zero targets.
“Not only is it welcome to support our work to improve the air we
breathe, but new modern buses, accompanied by the new bus lanes
and priority measures being introduced will offer commuters a
reliable and comfortable alternative to the car and traffic
congestion. It
also presents an incredible opportunity to make the West Midlands
a world leader in the new hydrogen economy”
