New electric buses for Hatfield, St Albans and Welwyn Garden City

The government gave the council £5.6m for the scheme

Old diesel buses will be phased out and replaced with 27 new electric models, a local authority said.

Hertfordshire County Council confirmed Uno Buses would introduce "greener" vehicles on routes in Hatfield, St Albans and Welwyn Garden City by 2026.

The Department for Transport gave the council over £5m to help decarbonise the fleet through its Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme.

The first electric bus is scheduled to appear on roads in 2024.

The council said the new buses would be more cost effective compared with diesel public transport.

It hoped the new fleet would also improve reliability due to reduced maintenance requirements.

Councillor Phil Bibby, executive member for highways and transport, said: "The ZEBRA funding will provide a wonderful opportunity to start replacing our old bus models with new electric ones, helping to make our county a cleaner and greener one."

Jim Thorpe, managing director for Uno Bus, said plans were "already underway to install the very latest charging infrastructure at our Hatfield Depot".

Decarbonisation Minister Jesse Norman added: "Zero-emission buses are a key part of the UK's effort to decarbonise its transport sector. That is why the government has provided Hertfordshire County Council with £5.6m to decarbonise its bus fleet."