New ZEBRA funding round: UK subsidises 484 electric buses
London is launching another funding round through its government programme, Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA). This time, £73.2 million (approximately €84.7 million) is being allocated for the procurement of battery-electric buses and associated infrastructure across ten regions. According to the Department for Transport, the public funds are being supplemented by private investments totalling £94 million (around €109 million). Most of the grants will be used to expand existing projects aimed at creating regional ‘zero-emission’ bus zones, specifically in:
- South Yorkshire – £33.4 million for 186 buses
- Tees Valley – £11 million for 82 buses
- Devon – £7.53 million for 90 buses
- Liverpool – £7.3 million for 36 buses
- Isle of Wight – £3.67 million for 23 buses
- North East – £3.6 million for 18 buses
- Reading – £3 million for 17 buses
- West Northamptonshire – £2.2 million for 17 buses
- Nottinghamshire – £1 million for 11 buses
- Surrey – £0.5 million for 4 buses
By far the largest recipient of the funding is South Yorkshire, specifically Sheffield. The city is set to receive 186 electric buses and has also been promised funds to modernise its Olive Grove depot. In addition to the £33.4 million from the ZEBRA programme, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) is contributing £58.3 million (plus an additional £26 million for infrastructure), ensuring the large-scale project can proceed.
“Today’s investment means we can get on with the job even faster,” said Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire. “Upgrading Olive Grove to a fully electric depot and bringing almost 200 new zero‑emission buses into service is a huge step forward for South Yorkshire. It means cleaner air, more reliable buses and a much better experience for people.”
The second-largest funding recipient, with a double-digit million-pound sum, is Tees Valley. The grant will support the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) in introducing 82 electric buses and electrifying two depots in Hartlepool and Darlington. This will increase the number of battery-electric buses in the region to 170 – more than half of the total fleet.
UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander commented: “Buses are the backbone of our public transport system. […] This funding will replace polluting diesel buses with new electric vehicles that will make a real difference to people’s daily lives, better connecting them to work, to healthcare and to opportunity, whilst cleaning up the air we all breathe.”
Through the ZEBRA 1 and ZEBRA 2 programmes, the UK government has so far supported the rollout of 2,500 zero-emission buses across the country, along with the necessary infrastructure.
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