Strategic partnerships key to delivering Oxford’s electric bus ambitions

A partnership between Oxfordshire County Council and bus operators has launched what will be one of the biggest UK fleets of electric buses outside London.

The £82.5 million project will deliver 159 new battery buses on to the roads of Oxford – the first of which have already gone into service. It has also funded two associated electric charging hubs at the city’s bus depots.

The bus fleet has been funded through a collaboration between the county council and Oxford Bus Company, owned by The Go-Ahead Group, and Stagecoach. The council was awarded £32.8m from the government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme and contributed £6m directly, while bus operators invested £45m.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, said, “I'm proud and thrilled that the county council is backing its ambitions with political and financial capital, alongside our partners, to deliver a safer, cleaner, greener, better county for residents and visitors.

“Together with policies such as traffic filters to hugely increase bus efficiency, we are delivering on our vision of a better future. This is an exciting and important moment for us all."

The county council has committed to help reduce bus journey times by at least 10 per cent in the city to ensure the investment is viable for bus operators. The project is described as a huge boost to Oxford’s vision to creating a more sustainable, decarbonised public transport system and improving air quality.

Oxford Bus Company will deliver 104 electric buses into service and Stagecoach 55.

Working with fleet electrification specialist Zenobē, Oxford Bus Company has installed 104 charging points at its Cowley House depot, with Stagecoach installing charging points at its Network Oxford site.

The charging hubs are powered by EDF Energy’s Oxford Superhub network, providing enough electricity to charge all 159 buses, enough for each bus to drive up to 200 miles per day.

Luke Marion, Oxford Bus Company Managing Director, said “This is a historic moment in our journey towards transforming our city services to electric. Decarbonising buses is an exciting project – and we have demonstrated that with the right strategic partnership working between the public and private sector, we can unlock investment to make it happen.”

Matt Carney, CEO of The Go-Ahead Group’s bus division, said “Electric buses make an enormous difference to air quality in cities and by decarbonising our fleet in towns and cities across the country, we aim to make a positive contribution to the fight against climate change. These new buses in Oxford will form Go-Ahead’s biggest fleet of zero emission buses outside London. The project is an example of bus operators working closely with local authorities to deliver for communities.”

Marianne Costigan, Head of Private Wire at EDF Renewables, said, “As we see the inauguration of one of the largest electric bus fleets in the UK, EDF Renewables is proud to be a key enabler of this ground-breaking initiative. Our Energy Superhub Oxford network already serves EV drivers in the local area at Redbridge Park and Ride charging locations. We are delighted to now be delivering the necessary energy infrastructure to support Go-Ahead, Stagecoach and their passengers as they supercharge Oxford towards its decarbonisation goals and improve air quality.”