Latest initiatives include new drive to support skills across the bus industry and a £3m investment in a new electric bus fleet in Leicester
Travelling by bus could soon become much easier, cheaper, and cleaner, after the government today launched a series of initiatives to improve bus services across the UK and drive investment in new zero emission fleets.
Roads Minister Richard Holden today announced plans to upskill, recruit, and re-train a "new generation" of bus professionals backed by £815,000 in government investment.
Holden said the initiative - dubbed the Bus Centre for Excellence - will bring together expertise from local government, bus operators, and industry to boost skills and diversity in the sector as it transitions to a range of clean technologies.
Included in the government's recently launched National Bus Strategy, the new centre aims to help support the development of a skilled workforce that can deliver on the government's goal of more reliable, affordable, and cleaner bus services.
The new centre will be hosted by the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) and will provide training opportunities and direct access to resources and industry experts, which Holden said would "uplift the capacity and capability of the whole sector, working to encourage people to get back on the bus".
Holden added that the new centre will complement continued efforts to decarbonise the national bus fleet.
The launch of the Bus Centre of Excellence initiative follows the announcement last month of £155m of government funding to support bus services up and down the country and extend the £2 bus fare cap in a bid to boost passenger numbers.
The government today also confirmed it is providing an investment of £3m in 18 new zero emission buses in Leicester.
The new buses are set to be manufactured in Northern Ireland by Wrightbus and will be operated by First Bus.
Following this investment, the government said that all the diesel buses at First Bus's depot in the city will now be replaced with 86 electric buses funded by the Zero Emission Buses Regional Areas (ZEBRA), which it said would make Leicester one of the first bus depots in the UK to transition to fully electric models.
In total Leicester has received around £22m in funding from the ZEBRA scheme to support the roll out of 114 electric buses.
Janette Bell, managing director at First Bus, said the company hopes to roll out its zero emission buses across the UK.
"We're continuing to trailblaze with our partners to ensure we meet our net zero targets, supported by co-funding from the Department for Transport," she added.
"As leaders in sustainable mobility, we are fully aligned with the Government's ambitions for a net zero carbon transport system. Electric really is the future and we're glad we can take our customers on this journey with us."
She added that through co-funding with the ZEBRA scheme, the company is planning to electrify another five of its UK depots befoe March 2024.
The ZEBRA scheme was first launched in 2021 to allow local authorities to bid for funding for zero emission buses and supporting infrastructure. The government estimated that total funding from the ZEBRA scheme now stands at around £300m, funding around 1,400 zero emission buses for England.
