Warrington's first electric bus unveiled by council

The council wants to reduce emissions and congestion

Yellow electric buses, which aim to reduce carbon emissions in a town, have been unveiled.

A fleet of 105 buses will entirely replace the old diesel vehicles in Warrington after the council received more than £20m of government funding.

The authority hopes it will encourage more people to use public transport.

Council Leader Hans Mundry said: "These are exciting times with our all-electric fleet set to transform bus travel in our borough."

He added: "We've made our ambitions clear, through our Local Transport Plan, to reduce emissions and congestion, increase the share of journeys made by bus and build sustainable transport into every day life in Warrington.

"Our new electric buses will play a massive role in us achieving this."

Green energy

The council secured £21.5m as part of the government's Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme and has received further funding towards other projects, such as an extension of the £2 bus fare cap and bus lane improvements.

The electric fleet will carry its first passengers in the summer.

Warrington Council said the Volvo BZL Electric buses promised near-silent journeys which complied with the toughest restrictions on emissions and noise.

The authority has also signed a deal with EO Charging - a provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging points for fleets - to supply the chargers at Warrington's new bus depot which will power the new buses.

As part of the council's commitment to tackling the climate emergency, all the charging will be powered by 100% green energy, the council added.