FirstGroup brand to operate ZEV shuttle service at Sizewell C
A FirstGroup press release outlines some of the terms of the contract, stating its SPS subsidiary will “operate worker transport and site shuttle services from points across Suffolk, to and from the Sizewell C nuclear power plant construction site”.
According to the Group, the contract has a five-year term (starting July 2026) and will see SPS operate a fleet of 150 buses, including both hydrogen and electric buses, sourced by Sizewell C Ltd. The agreement is expected to create 400 new jobs, comprised of drivers, engineers, and support staff, and transport at least 8000 workers during the plant’s “peak construction’ period.
There’s no word yet on which proportion of the fleet will be electric vs hydrogen fuel cell-based. However, in 2023, a pilot scheme between Wrightbus and Sizewell C tested four Hydroliners to see if they could be used for worker transport at the site. At the time, electrive reported that Sizewell C would order up to 150 hydrogen buses – so, it seems that this will now be balanced with battery electric buses as well.
Graham Sutherland, FirstGroup Chief Executive Officer commented: “Growing and diversifying our Bus portfolio is a strategic priority for the Group. This important contract builds on the work we have done over the last few years to bolster our Business and Coach segment, where we have seen revenues double, to £230m in FY 2026.”
It marks a new major contract for Specialist Passenger Solutions, which also operates transport services at Hinkley Point C – an EDF-operated nuclear power station being built over in Somerset and, currently, the UK’s largest infrastructure project.
Specialist Passenger Solutions states that, there, its “contribution to the building of Hinkley Point C cannot be understated”. It says it is the “only” transport provider for “almost all people who go to the construction site” as workers or visitors, and transports over 12,000 people per day. Whether it will end up becoming the dominant shuttle operation at the Sizewell site remains to be seen.
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