Burnham-On-Sea bus travellers will be using brand new electric buses later this year following a major funding boost announced this week.
Five Somerset bus routes will benefit from 25 new electric buses following a combined £14.7m of investment from the government and bus operators.
The Department for Transport (DfT) announced on Friday (March 22) that it would be providing £43.4m of grant funding to councils across the south west to help fund more than 350 new double-decker electric buses, replacing existing diesel models on key routes.
Somerset Council has received £2.2m of funding from the zero emission bus regional area scheme, along with £12.5m from First Bus South, which operates Buses of Somerset.
This investment will allow 25 new double-decker electric buses to be rolled out across five key routes in and around Taunton from later in the year.
The buses will operate from First Bus South’s Hamilton Road depot in Taunton which is being upgraded to include charging infrastructure.
The electric buses will replace part of Buses of Somerset’s current diesel fleet and overall, it is expected that each electric bus will save up to 60 tonnes of tailpipe emissions per year. The transport sector generates the largest proportion of carbon emissions by sector in Somerset (44% in 2019) significantly higher than average UK emissions (27%).
The proposed routes for operation of the electric vehicles are:
- 1 – Taunton town service
- 2 – Taunton town service
- 21 – Taunton to Burnham-On-Sea (via Bridgwater and Highbridge)
- 22 – Taunton to Wellington
- 28 – Taunton to Minehead (via Williton and Watchet)
Councillor Richard Wilkins, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Transport and Digital
said: “This is incredibly exciting news for Somerset and a major part of our drive towards a cleaner, greener county and we are really grateful to First Bus South for their major investment in Somerset’s future.”
Councillor Dixie Darch, Leader Member for Climate Change and the Environment, adds: “It’s a fantastic opportunity to start the process of electrifying buses in in the county and will ultimately have huge benefits for the wider environment and communities in Somerset.”
First Bus South’s Managing Director, Simon Goff, said: “We’re delighted to be bringing electric buses to Somerset, supporting cleaner, greener travel in the county. We’re making a major investment of £12.5m in this project, which shows our strong commitment to our passengers and bus services in Somerset. We’ve worked in close partnership with Somerset Council to get to this point, and we cannot wait to get these vehicles on the road.”
“This is a vital project will improve travel for our customers who will benefit from these state-of-the-art vehicles, including improved air quality and a much better journey experience overall. It’s also exciting news for colleagues as we start to transform and secure the future of our Taunton depot.”
“We’re proud to be a leader in sustainable transport, and this marks an exciting point for bus travel across Somerset. “
