Dozens of electric buses hit Coventry's streets

The city wants improved air quality and reduced greenhouse gases, the council says

Fifty more electric buses have begun running in Coventry.

Coventry wants to become the UK's first all-electric bus city by 2025 and the new National Express vehicles are the first of up to 300 set to arrive over the next three years, the council says.

The authority has received £50m in government funding to develop charging infrastructure.

There were already 10 electric buses operating across the city.

National Express has invested more than £60m on upgrades as part of Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) plans for improved technology along with the development of rail, bus and tram routes to enable the West Midlands to become a net-zero carbon region within two decades.

Tom Stables, CEO of National Express UK, said the operator wanted to become the UK's most sustainable bus and coach company.

Councillor Jim O'Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change, said: "We put the bid together and convinced the government that Coventry is the right place to become an all-electric bus city.

"Hitting a milestone of 50 new all-electric vehicles is fantastic and the city is really gearing up to creating the right infrastructure for the increase in zero emission vehicles.

"A quarter of the council's fleet are now all electric, and we have 607 charging points in the city - more than any other city outside of London."