City to welcome first fleet of electric buses

Councillor Mark Ieronimo, left, and Ben Gilligan, from East Yorkshire Buses, with one of the new EV chargers installed at the bus company on Anlaby Road

Bus passengers in Hull will soon be using electric buses as a fleet of 21 are set to arrive in the city later this year.

Hull City Council has provided funding for new charging points and infrastructure at East Yorkshire Buses on Anlaby Road.

Ben Gilligan, managing director of the bus company, said the move "represents a major milestone for us" and said the electric buses would bring a "significant change in the quality of our operation".

Councillor Mark Ieronimo said he hoped the new fleet would "help encourage, and increase, passenger demand" for public transport.

Ieronimo said there were currently "no electric or hybrid buses operating on public routes in Hull".

Ben Gilligan with Mark Ieronimo and Andrew Benstead, right, from East Yorkshire Buses, at the start of the second phase of the infrastructure programme

Andrew Benstead, engineering director at East Yorkshire Buses, said: "This milestone marks a significant step forward in our commitment to delivering cleaner, greener transport across the region."

There will now be a second phase of work to increase electric bus capacity further.

According to the council, electric buses run on rechargeable batteries and are quieter and provide a smoother journey. They are also easier to maintain.

They have a range of up to several hundred miles and are charged externally, usually at the depot on a plug, after the end of service each day.

Government funding will altogether provide 82 new buses in total for the city, operated by both East Yorkshire Buses and Stagecoach East Midlands.

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