More electric buses coming to Leicester after £2.9m deal

The electric buses coming to Leicester are being built in Northern Ireland

Leicester operator First Bus is to add 18 more electric buses to its fleet after agreeing a deal with the government.

The firm is to get £2.9m to introduce the new vehicles and upgrade its Abbey Lane depot so it becomes fully electrified.

It said the new vehicles would run more smoothly and reliably.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said it hoped the move would help encourage more people to use buses in the city.

The £2.9m grant aims to help First Bus Leicester operate fully electric fleets by March 2024 while running one of the first entirely electrified bus depots in the UK outside London.

The funding comes from the Zero Emission Buses Regional Area (ZEBRA) scheme, launched in 2021 to allow local transport authorities to bid for funding for zero emission buses and supporting infrastructure.

The DfT said Leicester had benefitted from nearly £22m funding to help put 114 zero emission buses on the city's roads.

The 18 new buses will be built in Northern Ireland by Wrightbus.

The Leicester depot is one of six around the country First Bus wants to make fully electric

Roads minister Richard Holden said: "Buses are the most popular form of public transport, and these new UK-made zero emission buses will help make them more attractive still by providing cleaner, smoother and more reliable services across Leicester."

He said journeys would be quieter and cleaner.

Managing director at First Bus Janette Bell said: "We're absolutely delighted that Leicester will become one of our blueprint bus depots of the future, helping us to refine and iterate this new concept so we can roll it out across the rest of the UK.

"We cannot wait to see our customers' reactions once the project is complete, as we know the difference this will make to the city."

She said she wanted to make six of the company's UK depots, including Leicester, entirely electrified by the end of March 2024.