Wiltshire: Electric buses due in Salisbury in 2026

The boss of Salisbury Reds said this will have a "significant" impact on the city's overall emissions

Wiltshire Council and Salisbury Reds have been awarded £11.4m of funding for an electric buses project in the city.

The investment will bring 23 new electric buses to Salisbury in 2026.

The two organisations worked in partnership to bid for the funding, with both providing financial contributions to make up the project value.

Cabinet member for transport Tamara Reay said it was "fantastic" the partnership attracted this investment.

Award by the Department for Transport's (DfT) ZEBRA (Zero Emissions Bus Regional Area), the investment not only includes the purchase of the buses, but also the electric charging infrastructure which will be installed at Salisbury Reds' depot.

The 23 electric buses will run on major city routes and surrounding areas, including services to and from Stonehenge and the city's park and ride sites.

"We have committed to improving our bus network across the county, and Salisbury, with its many bus routes in the city, is the perfect place to bring the first electric buses to Wiltshire," Ms Reay said.

Salisbury Reds will now work on implementing this plan, starting with the installation of the bus charging infrastructure, and people will start to see the new electric buses in the city from 2026, she added.

The 23 new electric buses will on the Salisbury roads in 2026

Andrew Wickham, the managing director of Salisbury Reds, said that this is very exciting news and will put Salisbury right at the forefront of sustainable transport.

The 23 new buses will add to the three Salisbury Reds already have, he added.

Each new bus will be equipped with technology for contactless payments, USB charging points for all seats, and next stop audio and visual announcements. The buses will also have a fully accessible wheelchair ramp, audio loops, dementia-friendly internal colour schemes and CCTV for added security.

Mr Wickham said the Salisbury depot is already equipped to charge the three electric park-and-ride buses, and they will be upgrading the charging infrastructure to accommodate the new fleet.

"All of this will have a significant impact on Salisbury's overall carbon emissions. It will also improve air quality here," he said.

"The success of this bid is testament to the excellent working relationship we enjoy with Wiltshire Council - and it gives us a wonderful opportunity to make Salisbury's transport the envy of other areas of the United Kingdom and, indeed, the World," Mr Wickham said.