The bid to convert an entire Harrogate bus fleet to electric vehicles has won approval from the Department for Transport (DfT).
North Yorkshire County Council is working with The Harrogate Bus Company, part of Transdev, on a scheme to bring 39 electric buses to Harrogate over the next three years.
The £20m project includes the bid for £7.8m by the County Council to the DfT’s Zero Emissions Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme plus an investment of more than £12m by Transdev. This will create a fleet of 20 single-decker and 19 double-decker buses, alongside supporting charging infrastructure.
The routes will include the popular 36 from Ripon through Harrogate to Leeds. All the vehicles will have next stop announcements, USB power and free wi-fi.
Michael Leah, Assistant Director Travel, Environmental and Countryside, said:
We welcome this announcement from the Department for Transport, which supports our strong commitment to sustainable travel. This project will provide a blueprint for other parts of North Yorkshire as we continue to work with operators who are seeking to move along a similar path.
As well as providing improved transport for passengers, the scheme will bring a range of benefits that will be felt more widely. These include accelerating decarbonisation of the county’s public transport network and the consequent improvement in air quality, bringing health benefits to residents and visitors, enhancing the environment and countering climate change. Quieter electric buses would also reduce noise pollution.
This investment supports our ambition for North Yorkshire as a place with a strong economy and our commitment to sustainable growth.
I find this absolutely absurd when those of us who are disabled or elderly, are being refused a bus service and discriminated against for having a bus pass! Public transport should be made accessible for everyone – not just the selected profitable routes! Why not provide the smaller hopper style buses for the estates which The Harrogate Bus Company refuse to provide a service for, as ‘it’s not profitable or well used’? They have left everyone isolated, cut off from everything, unable to leave their homes by taking away our lifeline. Peoples mental health is suffering; they are unable to access vital medical appointments, yet this bus company gains even more funding and continues to give us back our lifeline. They, along with our local MP, Councillors and Council, are all a complete disgrace and should be ashamed of themselves!