Work starts on First Bus £59m project to bring new electric buses to Bristol

Zoe Glascow
·2-min read
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


First Bus' multi-million pound electrification project is underway, with construction equipment arriving at the Weston-super-Mare depot in a project that will see 24 new electric buses on the Weston network. Work is expected to begin at the end of next month at Bristol's Hengrove depot, which will see electrification and 74 new buses on the city's network.

The electric buses will carry passengers on the following services: X1 (Weston to Bristol), X4 (Portishead to Bristol), 8 (Temple Meads to Clifton via city centre), 24 (Southmead Hospital to Ashton Gate), 70 (Hengrove to UWE Frenchay via city centre), 72 (Temple Meads to UWE Frenchay), 73 (Whitchurch to Bradley Stoke via Temple Meads) and 75/76 (Hengrove to Henbury/Cribbs Causeway via city centre).

Electrifying the depots will also provide facilities for local companies to charge their electric vehicles and will bring green employment opportunities. The two projects combined will cost £59 million, with £9 million of government funding being secured through its Zero Emissions Bus Regional Areas 2 (ZEBRA2) project.

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An artist impression of how the depot at Hengrove would look once the electrification project is completed. The new buses will mean 65 per cent of the fleet at Hengrove will be electric -Credit:First Bus
An artist impression of how the depot at Hengrove would look once the electrification project is completed. The new buses will mean 65 per cent of the fleet at Hengrove will be electric -Credit:First Bus

Doug Claringbold, First West of England’s Managing Director, said: “This week is a real ground-breaking moment for the West of England, as we see the first signs of a new electric, zero emission era for bus travel in our region.

“These will be the first electric buses we welcome into our West of England fleet, providing not only a comfier, quieter and smoother ride for customers, but also helping us to deliver a more reliable service and, importantly, bus travel that is even better for the environment.

“We’re proud as a company to be investing more than £50m into this project, which will be our biggest in this region for decades, and supports First Bus’ commitment to have a zero-emissions fleet by 2035.”

North Somerset Council’s Passenger Transport Service Manager Carl Nicholson said: “The council is looking forward to seeing the arrival of a modern fleet of electric buses in our region, building on the success of the Bus Service Improvement Plan and helping us to achieve our ambitious goals to decarbonise transport, whilst making the bus an attractive environmental alternative form of transport for our residents."

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