A fleet of 28 more electric buses is set to serve Gosport, Fareham, and Portsmouth after a bid for government funding was approved, taking the total number of electric buses across Hampshire to 62 by March 2024. These electric buses will deliver smoother, quieter bus journeys for local communities.
In partnership with First Bus and Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council has been awarded £6.1 million to increase the scope of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) scheme.
Hampshire’s £6.1 million share of the Government’s £25.3 million fund will be used to support the introduction of 28 more electric buses and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. This scheme and funding are in addition to the 34 new electric buses and £6.5 million investment announced as part of the ZEBRA programme last year. Including match funding by First Bus, the investment for all 62 electric buses and subsequent infrastructure is £28 million to date.
The 28 new electric buses will replace part of the current diesel fleet and will support air quality improvements in Fareham and Hampshire. They will run on routes across the Solent area, including the X4 (The Hard – Fareham – Southampton) and the X5 (Gosport – Fareham – Southampton) and the Eclipse rapid transit corridor from Fareham to Gosport for the ferry connection to Portsmouth.
This new ZEBRA funding award will make a significant contribution to Hampshire County Council and Portsmouth City Council’s plans to move towards Net Zero by 2050 and will be key in promoting economic growth for the region.
Richard Holden, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, (Roads and Local Transport), commented:
“Buses are the most popular form of public transport, and these new British-built zero emission buses will support hundreds of high-quality manufacturing jobs in Northern Ireland, grow our economy and help clean up the air in towns and cities across the country. We’re providing an additional £25.3 million to roll out 117 new buses to provide residents in Yorkshire, Norfolk, and Portsmouth with better, cleaner and quieter journeys, as we step up a gear to reach net zero faster and level up transport across the country.”
Commenting, Suella Said:
“It’s excellent news that Hampshire County Council were successful in their bid for this funding. Thanks to £6.1 million, Fareham residents can expect quieter journeys with no emissions. The new state-of-the-art fleet of 28 buses will help to improve the air quality across Hampshire, bringing many other benefits to our local environment. I look forward to seeing these new buses out on our roads in Fareham next year.”
