The UK is set to have the largest electric bus fleet in Europe by 2024, with the number of buses projected to grow to 2,800 vehicles according to forecasts by Accuracy.
In a new report by the advisory firm, it predicted the number of electric buses in the UK would increase by 180% in the next three years.
The number of urban electric buses in the UK has been boosted by investment by Transport for London (TfL). At the beginning of 2021, TfL’s fleet featured more than 400 buses fully powered by electricity.
This included the UK’s first full routes serviced entirely by electric double-decker buses. Some 300 additional zero-emission buses are expected to join the fleet by the end of the year.
Furthermore, in January the Department for Transport announced Coventry was set to become the UK’s first all-electric bus city.
The report said government initiatives are helping UK cities build up their fleet of electric buses faster than others in Europe.
Aurélie Quéromès, manager at Accuracy, said: “The growth in UK’s electric bus fleet has been driven by continued government investment. Many countries are now stepping up investment into their electric bus fleet to meet their zero-emission targets.”
Poland currently has the second-largest fleet of zero-emission buses in Europe with around 800 electric buses. The Netherlands and Italy have the third and fourth largest fleets with around 600 buses each. Germany only has 550 in its urban fleet, the fifth largest in Europe. France is currently in sixth place with around 500, around half the number of electric buses in the UK currently.
Quéromès continued: “The pandemic has had a huge impact on public transport across the world, so it is more important now than ever that governments continue to commit funds to zero-emission infrastructure projects.”
“Manufacturers of electric buses may need support in the short term to help restart the supply chain of ZE buses. Therefore, governments and private investors could aim to bridge the funding gap between operators and manufacturers to ensure they meet climate change targets in time.”
