Liverpool city region takes delivery of the first of more than 100 electric buses that will enter service in months as part of Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s plan to bring bus services back under public control. Tony McDonough reports
Electric buses will be in service on the streets of Liverpool city region within months after the Combined Authority took delivery of the first vehicles on a 100-strong fleet.
Introducing the buses onto the city region streets forms part of Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s plan to bring bus services back under public control for the first time since 1986 when they were deregulated by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Government.
In January the Combined Authority announced the two bus operators – Stagecoach and Go-Ahead – that will operate the first services under the new franchised network.
Clad in distinctive yellow, grey and black ‘Metro’ livery, the zero-emission double-deckers arrived in the city region on Wednesday.
Over the next few months dozens more electric buses are set to be delivered by UK manufacturers Wrightbus and Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL). These vehicles will be able to run up to 275 miles on a single 90-minute charge.
READ MORE: You can now pay on Merseyrail with card, phone and watch
They have been built with a range of features, including more space for wheelchair users and prams, audio visual announcements with real-time information, USB phone charging and free Wi-Fi.
While the vehicles aren’t ready to start picking up passengers just yet, they’re about to start hitting the streets for driver training with the plan for them to enter service in the coming months.
Steve Rotheram said: “After four decades of deregulation, we are taking back control of our buses and building a network that works in the interests of passengers, not shareholders.
“The arrival of our new publicly-owned electric fleet is a tangible example of that change. These state-of-the-art, zero-emission buses – alongside our £500m fleet of trains fitted with pioneering battery technology – will give people a genuine alternative to the car.
“We’re putting the public back into public transport with better services, simpler fares and the modern, affordable network out 1.6m residents deserve.”