Half of Leicester’s bus network is now electric, thanks to a partnership that has seen bus companies and the city council bring about major improvements to services.
The Leicester Buses Partnership has reached a key milestone target in its Bus Services Improvement Plan (BSIP), with 50% of the city’s core commercial network now electric.
The partnership consists of all local bus operators – Arriva, Centrebus, First, Kinchbus, Roberts Travel, Stagecoach and Vectare – and the city council working and investing together under an agreed long-term plan.
The newest additions to the network are Wrightbus’s double-decker Streetdeck Electroliners.
Some 24 of these have been introduced to Arriva’s fleet and 18 to First Bus’s fleet, supplementing the 68 electric single-deckers FirstBus currently has in use.
Across the network of partners, there are now a total of 134 electric buses in service across Leicester, operating from four charging depots.
The milestone is one of 94 out of 100 commitments delivered by the partnership so far.
Now, it is launching its most recent BSIP to further deliver improvements against targets, including having a fully electric network in place by 2030.
So far, £60.5m has been invested in the Leicester Buses Partnership. Of this, £22m came from the UK Department of Transport (DfT), which has funded 116 of the 134 buses through its Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) programme.
First Bus has invested £22.5m in its fleet and Arriva has invested £7.7m. Leicester City Council funding totalled £1.33m, and £7.09m came from the DfT’s Transforming Cities Fund.
Other focal points of the new plan include further developing the city’s orbital and park and ride services, as well as introducing discounted ticketing schemes.
Leicester city mayor Peter Soulsby said: “Leicester Buses Partnership has been a huge success and is helping to transform public transport in the city.
“Passengers have taken more than half a million trips on our free Hop! city centre service, and two thirds of passengers are satisfied that bus services offer value for money – up from 57% previously and reflecting the impact of the national £2 fare.
“Overall passenger satisfaction is 81%, ahead of the national average.”
Since the partnership was set up in May 2020, it has launched contactless ‘tap on, tap off’ ticketing on a multi-operator platform; introduced the free Hop! city centre service; installed more than 1,300 bus stop totems and 500 new bus shelters.
First Bus’s depot in Leicester is now also fully electric for all commercial services.
However, according to Leicester City Council, additional investment of around £86.5m is needed to complete the electric bus network by 2030.
The partnership is in talks with the DfTt and others to see how the package can be funded.
Achievements and innovations in public transport will be celebrated at the third annual CiTTi Awards, which will be held on 26 November 2024 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Nominations are open now! Please visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector
