Oxford Bus Company ahead of schedule in electric fleet roll-out

Published by

Giles Gwinnett

Picture contributed

Oxford Bus Company said it was ahead of schedule in its bid to transform its city fleet into an all-electric service as the firm celebrated Clean Air Day.

Last year Oxford Bus Company in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council and Stagecoach signed a deal to collectively introduce 159 electric buses into service.

The company, whose parent is The Go-Ahead Group, has now confirmed that 80 out of its 104 electric vehicle fleet, or around three quarters, are now on the road.

The 104 electric buses will save 6,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year in the city.

"As we celebrate Clean Air Day we’re pleased to announce we’re ahead of schedule in our journey to transform our city fleet into an all-electric service to further significantly help improve air quality," said Luke Marion, the managing director of Oxford Bus Company.

"Our multi-million investment in clean technology is radically improving the environment of the communities we serve, in terms of improving air-quality, reducing noise pollution and enhancing our customers’ overall experience. We’re now looking forward to rolling out the rest of the fleet."

In 2020, the firm introduced the first electric bus to Oxford via its City Sightseeing Oxford fleet.

It now has three retrofitted electric vehicles in its fleet, which were delivered in partnership with Oxford city council.

A city council air quality report recently revealed with NOx emissions from buses has decreased by half since 2013 and that buses now contribute less pollution than cars in Oxford city centre.

The Go-Ahead Group aims to reduce emissions by 75% by 2035 and become a net-zero company by 2045.

Giles Gwinnett

Giles Gwinnett is a writer at The Business Magazine. He has been a journalist for more than 20 years and covered a vast array of topics at a range of media settings - in print and online. After his NCTJ newspaper training, he became a reporter in Hampshire before moving to a news agency in Gloucestershire. In recent years, he has been covering the financial markets along with company news for an investor-focused web portal. His many interests include politics, energy and the environment. He lives in Dorset.