Later this week the Liverpool City Combined Authority will be asked to approve £12.5m for the purchase of a fleet of hydrogen-powered double decker buses. Tony McDonough reports
A new fleet of hydrogen-powered double decker buses will be operating on the streets of the Liverpool city region in a £12.5m plan.
On March 19, the Liverpool City Combined Authority will be asked to approve the cash from its Transforming Cities Fund for the purchase of 20 new buses. The zero-emission vehicles will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
They wug form a key part of Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s ‘Vision for Bus’, which commits to using the powers available through devolution to build a better, more reliable and affordable bus network.
Plans for the hydrogen bus project also include the building of hydrogen refuelling stations, which will be the first of their kind in the North West. Construction on the refuelling facilities is planned to begin later in the year.
Mr Rotheram is aiming for the city region to become net zero carbon by 2040. The hydrogen buses will join the existing fleet in the city region which is already more than 70% low emissions, via the use of cleaner engines, hybrid and electric power and biomethane gas.
It is anticipated that the buses will initially serve the 10A route between St Helens and Liverpool city centre – the city region’s busiest bus route, operated jointly by Arriva and Stagecoach.
“In the Liverpool city region we are already leaders in green technology and the low-carbon economy and this project, which if approved, will bring 20 brand new hydrogen-powered buses to our streets is another very exciting step forward,” said Mr Rotheram.
“The new vehicles will help our city region tackle poor air quality and achieve our ambition of being net zero carbon by 2040. And, like the new trains for Merseyrail network, they’ll be owned by the people of the Liverpool city region and can be built to serve their needs.
“It’s another example of how we’re using the power of devolution to make things greener and cleaner and improve our transport system to make it more reliable, attractive and affordable for everyone who lives and works here.”
On Monday, the Government published its new £3bn National Bus Strategy which its promised will see the biggest shake-up of bus services across England since privatisation in 1986.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he wants to reform the network as part of is “levelling up” agenda. There will be “enhanced partnerships” between local authorities and bus operators as well as 4,000 new zero emission vehicles.
According to the Campaign for Better Transport, 3,000 bus services have been lost in the past decade due to a 40% cut in local authority funding for transport. The strategy will also see simpler bus fares and daily price caps as well as increased services in the evening and at weekends.
Mr Rotheram gave a cautious welcome to the strategy. He added: “Communities across the Liverpool city region rely on buses to connect them to work, education and training, family, hospitals and other public services.
“This is why delivering high-quality bus services are a fundamental pillar of my ambition to deliver a London-style integrated transport system. We continue to progress our work to support both the post-pandemic recovery of bus services and wider bus reform, with a franchising model being identified as our leading option in February last year.
“As well as the action I am talking locally, more national funding for local bus services is something I have been fighting for consistently since I was elected, so it’s welcome that a new National Bus Strategy has been published by the Government.
“I will be studying the details closely to see if it matches my ambitions for the future of bus services locally and talking to ministers about securing the funding, we need to make our plans a reality.”