The UK government has announced a huge spending boost for electric buses up and down the country, with £3 million dedicated to the city of Leicester. Eighteen brand new electric buses from Wrightbus will be purchased, a bus manufactured here in the UK. The Electroliner model is also claimed to be the world’s most efficient electric bus.

All the buses are manufactured by Wrightbus in Northern Ireland and when deployed in Leicester, will be operated by irst Bus. So far, just four UK cities are operating a completely electric bus fleet, with London, Norwich and York completed previously. First Bus has ambitious plans to be operating a total of 600 electric buses by March 2024.

The UK government has been investing a lot of money into buses since the pandemic, with a total of £2 billion to date. Plans are in place to spend a further £1bn.

Our take

While electric cars are an important part of the switchover to sustainable transport, public transport is a big piece of the puzzle. Buses to date have been diesel which isn’t quite as efficient or clean as once thought. A whole network of the UK population rely on buses and making them all-electric not only helps emissions, but makes the streets a much quieter place. Children under 17 rely on buses when they can’t drive, as do families and pensioners.