Portsmouth & Hampshire area receive fleet of electric buses

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Public transport operator First Bus South has taken delivery of its first electric buses for the Portsmouth and Hampshire area.

The electric bus fleet represents the first of an order worth more than 60 electric buses, which will be rolled out over the coming weeks for passengers on a number of routes in the area, First Bus South has said.

Funding for the project cost around £28.6 million, which was supposed by a partnership with Portsmouth City Council and Hampshire County Council which secured £12.7 million from the UK’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) funding programme along with a £15.9 million investment from the operator.

Simon Goff, First Bus South's managing director, said: “These vehicles offer significant environmental benefits as they emit zero tailpipe emissions, which means better air quality for local people.

“What’s fantastic is that they’ll also improve the journey experience for our customers, providing a smoother, more comfortable ride. We hope that our passengers are as pleased with them as we are.

“We have great ambitions both in the UK and across Europe to have many more of our buses on the roads in the future. All of our buses have been built in Ballymena in Northern Ireland, lending further support to the wider regional economy and allowing us to create green jobs as we continue in our growth."