An entire fleet of buses in Harrogate could be replaced with electric models as part of an ambitious £20 million bid.
North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) is working with the Harrogate Bus Company, part of Transdev, on a bid for more than £8 million in government money.
Transdev has also proposed to prop up the bid with £11.5 million of its own funds.
If successful, Harrogate would welcome a total of 39 zero-emission buses over the next three years.
The buses come with next stop announcements, USB power and free wifi.
There would be an even split of single-decker and double-decker electric buses which would come with supporting charging infrastructure.
Now, the Department for Transport (DfT) has asked the council to submit a business case for the project.
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The bid must be submitted by the end of January 2022 with a decision from the DfT expected by March 2022.
Cllr Don Mackenzie, the executive member for access at NYCC, 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.
“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.”
Alex Hornby, CEO at Transdev, said:
“We have already created a low-emission bus fleet in Harrogate thanks to the huge investment we have made in the past few years.
“We hope this bid will lead to the next exciting step of our vision to create a completely zero-emission bus network, powered by a fully-electric fleet.
“With our partners at North Yorkshire County Council, we aim to create further improvements in infrastructure.
“This comes at a time when we believe our town is ready to embrace more sustainable forms of travel.”
