Harrogate district set to see introduction of multi-million pound fleet of electric buses in battle against climate change

The plans to convert the bus fleet to electric vehicles is being drawn up by North Yorkshire County Council in the hope of improving transport links between key destinations while also curbing harmful emissions in the battle against climate change.

The Government has now invited the council, which is working with The Harrogate Bus Company, part of Transdev, on the scheme, to bid for more than £8m to finance the initiative across the Harrogate district.

The routes would include the high-profile and class-leading 36 from Ripon through Harrogate to Leeds, which has seen passenger numbers rise by more than 21 per cent during the past few years alone.

The county council’s executive member for access, Coun Don Mackenzie, said: “We’re near the start of a competitive process and success is not guaranteed, but this action illustrates the scale of our ambition and commitment and, if successful, could provide a blueprint for other areas of North Yorkshire.”

He added: “This project aligns with the decarbonisation ambitions we share with partners across the region to protect the environment and counter climate change.

“It would accelerate improvements in air quality, as zero emission vehicles produce no tail pipe emissions, bringing health benefits to residents and visitors.”

Following an expression of interest to the Department for Transport’s Zero Emissions Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme, the authority has been invited to submit a business case to support its bid for funds.

In total, the project would cost almost £20m, with £11.5m being invested by Transdev. Twenty single-decker and 19 double-decker buses would be bought and the supporting charging infrastructure put in place. All the vehicles would have next stop announcements, USB power and free wifi internet.

The chief executive officer at Transdev, Alex Hornby, said: “With our partners at North Yorkshire County Council, we aim to create further improvements in infrastructure to deliver even better, quicker and more reliable journeys by bus.

“This comes at a time when we believe our town is ready to embrace more sustainable forms of travel and credible alternatives to continual reliance on the private car.”

This week the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report issuing a stark warning on the devastating impact human activity is having on the climate.

The report revealed that emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities are responsible for about 1.1C of warming since 1850-1900, and found that global temperatures are expected to reach or exceed 1.5C of warming over the next 20 years.

Transport is now recognised as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, most of which comes from cars and vans.

The bid must be submitted by the end of January next year with a decision from the Department for Transport expected in March.