HALF of Leicester’s bus network is now electric, thanks to a hugely successful partnership that has brought bus companies and the city council together to bring about major improvements to services.
Leicester Buses Partnership has reached one of the key milestone targets in its Bus Services Improvement Plan (BSIP), with 50% of the city’s core commercial network now electric.
The newest additions to the network are Wrightbus’s double-decker Streetdeck Electroliners. Twenty-four of these have been introduced to Arriva’s fleet and 18 to First Bus’s fleet, supplementing the 68 electric single-deckers FirstBus already 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 Bus Service Improvement Plan to further deliver improvements against ambitious targets, including having a fully electric network in place by 2030.
So far, £60.5million has been invested in the Leicester Buses Partnership. Of this, £22m came from The 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. 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.
Further Government funding will need to be secured to enable the next stage of the plan to be progressed.
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.”
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. It aims to make bus travel electric, reliable, frequent, easy and great value to use.
Alistair Hands, Managing Director (Regions), Arriva UK Bus said: “Arriva has a long and proud history of delivering bus services, connecting communities and driving innovation since our introduction of the city’s first motorised buses way back in 1921.
“The Leicester Buses Partnership builds on our longstanding relationship with the city council. As a result of prioritising public transport and active travel, bus use in Leicester continues to grow and the strength of city’s bus partnership has given us the certainty we need as an operator to invest in a new sustainable fleet.
“We are very proud of what we achieved but we know there is more to be done. It’s one thing to electrify a bus, but the benefits are truly realised when that bus is full of passengers, helping to reduce the number of cars on the road.”
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.
Zoe Hands, managing director of FirstBus Midlands, Manchester & South Yorkshire said: “It’s a proud moment for FirstBus to be delivering services across Leicester with a fully electric commercial fleet and significantly contributing to the city's goal of becoming carbon neutral. This milestone, achieved through the Leicester Buses Partnership, demonstrates our commitment to sustainable transportation and improving air quality. With 86 electric buses now operating, including our latest double-decker Streetdeck Electroliners, we are playing a crucial role in Leicester's ambitious plan to have a fully electric bus network by 2030.”
Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood said: “Passengers in Leicester deserve an efficient, modern and sustainable bus network, and it’s fantastic to see that half of the Leicester bus fleet is now zero-emission.
“Our Better Buses Bill will help Leicester continue transforming its local bus fleet by empowering local leaders to finally give passengers the reliable, clean and affordable bus services they can truly rely on.”
Additional investment of around £86.5m is needed to keep improving and complete the electric bus network by 2030.
City mayor Peter Soulsby added: “Affordable, reliable and good quality public transport is absolutely key to the growth and prosperity of our city and we are proud of what we’ve achieved so far. It’s vital that we build on this momentum and continue to improve bus services, which is why we’re launching our new improvement plan. But further improvements can’t happen without continued and significant Government investment.”
The partnership is in talks with the Department for Transport and others to see how the package can be funded.
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Picture caption: (from left) Zoe Hands, managing director of FirstBus Midlands, Manchester and South Yorkshire; City Mayor Peter Soulsby; Cllr Geoff Whittle, assistant city mayor for transport and environment; and, Toby France, head of commercial (East and South Midlands) at Arriva UK Bus.