Truck and bus supplier Pelican Bus and Coach has secured £60m in funding from banking firm HSBC UK to pay for 250 new electric buses.
Pelican Bus and Coach also claims to be the sole UK and Ireland importer and distributor for Zhengzhou Yutong Bus, a China-based manufacturer of electric buses and coaches.
The funding round was confirmed by HSBC UK to support the supply of electric, zero-emission buses to fleet operators throughout the UK and Ireland, with Yutong collaborating as a distribution partner.
The majority of the buses will be 10-12m (32-39ft) single-deckers, though Pelican has also announced plans to offer coaches and airside buses. The bus company hopes this electric fleet will be operational in the UK within the next year.
Richard Crump, managing director at Pelican Bus and Coach, said: “With this deal, we not only increase the number of electric buses in operation across the UK, but also maintain our leading role in the move towards zero-emission public transport.
“We are proud of our long-term relationship with HSBC UK as well as with Zhengzhou YUTONG Bus, and are looking forward to seeing these buses on our roads.”
Rob King, head of sustainability at HSBC UK, said: “At HSBC, we are committed to helping British businesses reduce emissions and capture the advantages that the transition toward a net zero economy presents.
“Transitioning public bus networks to electric power solutions is an important step for our nation to achieve its net zero aims.
“This deal is particularly important in enabling Pelican Bus and Coach to support the drive toward making even greener public transport within communities across the UK become a reality.”
Some of the services which have already been confirmed are those in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness, Edinburgh, Carmarthen, Leicester, Newport and Newcastle.
