North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) has received funding from the Department for Transport for electric buses.
NNC has decided to introduce ten new electric buses on routes across the District. The routes that will receive the new buses are the X46 and X47. The new buses will arrive around the middle of 2027.
It brings about a “full circle”. In the early 1900s, electric buses were running in parts of the country. However, they were unpopular and were replaced by diesel buses (which are highly polluting).
It has taken a long time to correct that mistake, but better late than never.
Cllr Chris McGiffen, the council’s Executive Member for Highways and Travel, said:
“The new proposals plan would see electric buses used on routes that make up 20% of bus journeys in North Northamptonshire.“
Mark Whitelocks, Managing Director for Stagecoach Midlands said:
“Working in partnership with North Northamptonshire to accelerate our delivery of electric buses to the network is not only exciting, it will also help us to deliver improvement to our services for our customers sooner. Customers will benefit from smoother, quieter, cleaner and more modern journeys as a result. Not only will this support and fleet investment make bus a better choice for our communities across North Northamptonshire, but this will also help us contribute to reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality for our communities.”