First Bus and West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) have completed a further £11.2m investment in the operator’s Bramley depot which makes half the fleet ‘zero emission’.
The last of an additional 22 double-decker electric buses have now entered service, increasing the total at the depot, which is based off Henconner Lane, to 79. This further investment builds on a transformation of the depot with power charging infrastructure and electric vehicles (EVs) unveiled earlier this year.
WYCA, with support from First Bus successfully secured £3.4m in a ‘variation request’ from the Department for Transport to expand the depot electrification combined with £7.8m from First Bus, announced in May 2024.
This brings the total ZEBRA funding and First Bus investment at Bramley to more than £40m and has created the largest fleet of zero emission buses in West Yorkshire.
The announcement came as councillors for the Armley Ward, Lou Cunningham (Green) and Andy Parnham (Labour) visited the depot to see the final EVs entering service.
Deputy Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee, Cllr Peter Carlill (Lab, Calverley & Farsley) said: “We have come a long way in the past couple of years on this, and I’m thrilled that West Yorkshire can now boast dozens of electric buses being run from this depot.
“We look forward to continuing to work with operators to bring in electric buses serving the whole of West Yorkshire.
“This reflects our plans to create a better-connected and greener West Yorkshire, and these changes will help boost air quality, improve public transport and help us tackle the climate emergency.”
John Roxburgh, Head of Operations for First Bus in North & West Yorkshire, hosted the councillors on the tour with Head of Engineering, Craig Brown, depot Operations Manager, Kevin Lowe and Steve Thorpe, Stakeholder Relationship Manager for First Bus UK.
Mr Roxburgh said: “It was a pleasure to show councillors what our team together with suppliers has achieved with the depot transformation and the introduction of our EV fleet. This will play an important part in skilled green jobs for the future and supporting the wider community.
“It is yet more evidence of our continuing successful partnership with West Yorkshire Combined Authority in bringing major improvements to bus services, supporting a shared ambition for a net-zero transport system and reducing carbon emissions in the city.”
Cllr Parnham said: “I am impressed by the First Bus leadership team’s determination to employ electric vehicles and modern technology as a means of improving passenger comfort, safety, and reliability to both existing customers and for new bus users.
“By working in partnership, we can make this fantastic electric bus fleet the go-to mode for vehicle journeys within Leeds and beyond.”
The fleet of 79 electric buses are manufactured by Wrightbus in Northern Ireland with features including audio visual next stop technology and USB charging points.
Each bus saves around 75 tonnes of CO2e a year, making a total reduction of almost 6,000 tonnes of carbon annually.