Stagecoach East takes on 30 new electric buses in Cambridge

The Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough called it a "turning point for public transport"

Thirty new electric buses costing almost £500,000 each have joined a fleet taking passengers around Cambridge.

Stagecoach East is introducing the new double-deckers across routes from Sunday.

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA), which helped fund the fleet, said they would "help tackle pollution" and encourage bus travel.

The bus company already has two electric vehicles, introduced in 2020.

The new fleet has been funded by the CPCA, Greater Cambridge Partnership, Stagecoach East and the Department for Transport, following a successful bid to the government's Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme.

The combined authority said the buses "emit 72% less well-to-wheel CO2 emissions than an equivalent-size diesel bus".

The introduction of the new vehicles means 31% of Stagecoach's Cambridge bus fleet will be electric.

• Cambridge congestion charge: Your views

• Referendum on city congestion charge rejected

• The Swedish message to UK congestion charge cities

The Labour Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson, said it was "marking a turning point for public transport in the region".

"Removing 30 diesel buses from our historic city and replacing them with these new vehicles will not only have a positive impact on the health of our region by reducing air and noise pollution, but will also help in the broader fight against climate change as we embrace these new and exciting technologies," he said.

He said the authority aimed to have "all buses and taxis operating within the area [with] zero emissions by 2030".