British seaside resort Blackpool has successfully pitched for £20m of funding to set 115 electric buses on its roads over the coming five years.
Blackpool Council and Blackpool Transport Services submitted the joint bid to the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) fund. Launched in 2020, the fund helps British transport authorities outside London buy zero-emission buses and related infrastructure.
Blackpool’s new fleet will help achieve the local council’s net zero ambitions. Alongside a modern, customer-focused design, the new buses will be entirely free of tailpipe emissions, helping boost air quality across the renowned Fylde Coast.
Blackpool invested £22m into environmentally friendly diesel buses in 2016. This fleet will be sold to other UK operators at affordable prices, saving Blackpool two million litres of diesel a year and raising money for reinvesting into the local transport network.
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