Go-Ahead has announced the addition of nine Voltra electric buses in the North East region as part of its effort to expand its electric fleet.
The buses are the result of a £2m investment, with top-up funding from the government’s Ultra-Low Emission Bus Fund.
Go-North East’s zero-emission buses are being deployed to improve air quality in the region as part of the national net zero agenda.
The new buses will be serving the Q3 route, which runs from Great Park to Wallsend via Newcastle City.
Some of the Voltra buses’ reported features include air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, wireless and USB charging phone holders. Tap on and off contactless is available for passengers to pay for their trip using Google Pay or Apple Pay.
The e-buses will be charged overnight at the Riverside depot in Gateshead.
Christian Schreyer, CEO of the Go-Ahead group, said: “The importance of sustainable travel is growing, reflecting trends in climate change, digitalisation, urbanisation, and demographics.
“There are increasing funding opportunities for bus lanes, traffic management and improvements to bus stops, helping to reduce journey times and improve the reliability of services.
“Go-Ahead see opportunities to grow by encouraging people to leave their cars at home and improving our services to make bus travel more attractive for our customers.
“We’ve set ambitious, but deliverable, targets in our ‘Next Billion Journey’s business strategy, and there is an exciting future for Go-Ahead.”
Go-Ahead claims the investment reflects its commitment to a ‘net zero’ bus fleet by 2035, with the aim of becoming carbon neutral by 2045.
