Harrogate Bus Company and North Yorkshire County Council have been awarded £7.8 million as part of a joint bid to make the firm’s fleet all-electric with the delivery of 39 zero-emission buses.

The project will cost almost £20 million in total, with around £11.5 million being invested by Transdev – the French parent firm of Harrogate Bus Company.

It will see 20 single-decker and 19 double-decker buses provided over the next three years, as well as the supporting charging infrastructure.

All the new vehicles will have next stop announcements, USB power and free Wi-Fi.

The joint bid was originally made for more than £8 million, and the £7.8 million received will be used to improve vehicles on routes, including the high-profile 36 from Ripon through Harrogate to Leeds.

The money is coming from the government’s £200 million Zero Emission Bus Regional Area fund, which is delivering almost 1,000 new buses across the country – including 221 in Yorkshire.

Criticism of Harrogate’s level of funding

Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, said the successful bid signalled the authority’s intent to foster a more environmentally-friendly generation of public transport.

His comments follow repeated criticism against the county council over its high proportion of bids for travel-related funding being focused on Harrogate, due to the town being the largest centre of population.

When asked if other areas of the county would see similar schemes, Cllr Mackenzie said:

“Clearly we would be keen to convert all buses that are used in North Yorkshire eventually to electric.”

Earlier this month, Cllr Mackenzie also said he was “confident” that Harrogate would still be able to trial a park and ride service despite funding cuts to a separate government scheme.

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The Bus Back Better initiative is seen as key to the government’s “levelling up” agenda, but has seen its funding more than halved from £3 billion to £1.4 billion.

New bus lanes

North Yorkshire County Council has bid for £116 million from the scheme to fund its Bus Service Improvement Plan, which also includes new bus lanes, more cash support for services and other upgrades across the county.

However, Cllr Mackenzie previously said it was unlikely that the county council would get “anything near” the full amount it bid for. He added:

“Even if we get reduced funding – which is likely – I’m confident there will be money for the various interventions we want to make in Harrogate, including a pilot for a park and ride.”

The county council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan includes £23 million for new bus lanes, £74 million for other infrastructure changes and £14 million for support for bus services.

There is also an aim to increase the 12.1 million passenger journeys in North Yorkshire in the year to March 2019 to 14.3 million journeys by 2030.

Harrogate Bus Company has completed trials of the first ever all-electric bus with zero emission technology in the UK.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Ciatro was brought in for trials as part of the company’s plans to convert its entire fleet to zero-emission electric power.

It follows an ambitious bid made in partnership with North Yorkshire County Council, which has requested nearly £20 million of government money to help replace the fleet.

The week-long trials have taken place on The Harrogate Bus Company’s popular route one linking Harrogate and Knaresborough and follow experience gained with two alternative electric single deck buses.

The silver E-Citaro trial bus tested in Harrogate is powered by high-performance water-cooled batteries which use up-to-the-minute technology to extend running time between charges and keep the bus on the road.

Alex Hornby, chief executive of Transdev. which owns the Harrogate Bus Company, said: 

“This exciting trial of the Mercedes-Benz E-Citaro marks the first time this new design has been tested in service in the UK, reflecting our ambition to deliver a zero-emission, high quality product for our customers across Harrogate and beyond.

“This is the third stage of our comparative trials of electric bus designs on one of our most popular routes, which will help us to make informed choices between options to invest in electric power. 

“We hope that alongside North Yorkshire County Council’s bid for government support, our own multi-million-pound investment will turn our vision of a completely zero-emission bus network powered by a fully electric bus fleet into reality.”

The bid to the Department for Transport would see 39 zero-emission buses introduced over the next three years.

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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.

A decision from the government on the bid is expected in March next year.

Knaresborough is to get its first electric bus, in a move that will reduce carbon emissions in the town.

Harrogate Bus Company announced on Clean Air Day today it will trial the number 1 route from tomorrow for a week.

The number 1 is one of the company’s busiest routes and it is hoped the electric bus will become a permanent feature on Knaresborough’s roads within 12 to 18 months.

Air pollution at Bond End in Knaresborough, which is one of the stops on the route, remains at illegal levels.

Knaresborough Chamber of Trade said the trial was a positive step in becoming a greener town.

Steve Teggin, president of the chamber, said:

“It’s a perfect run because there is an enormous amount of traffic from Harrogate to Knaresborough to shop.

“We are very excited to encourage a greener environment and this is a great step forward. We hope this will encourage people to come and support our shops.”

It is hoped the trial will be successful and further funding for the initiative in Knaresborough can be approved within 12-18 months.

The bus will run off one charge overnight.

The Harrogate Bus Company has said the trial will allow it to test the technology and ensure customers are happy with the new service.

Alex Hornby, chief executive of Harrogate Bus Company, said:

“We have committed some investment for next year and we hope to make it as successful as the Harrogate electric buses. It’s the main route to connect Harrogate and Knaresborough so it seems like an obvious next step to bring this technology into Knaresborough.”

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