Oxfordshire County Council welcomes funding for 159 electric buses

An £82.5m scheme to provide new electric buses will "transform" a city's bus network, a council has said.

The government has awarded Oxfordshire County Council £32.8m for 159 new buses to serve Oxford and surrounding areas.

The funding is from the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme to help authorities outside London introduce new buses and infrastructure.

Another £6m will be provided by the council and a further £43.7m will come from bus companies.

The buses could be launched between summer 2023 and spring 2024 and will serve an area from Kidlington north of the city, to Sandford to the south, Cumnor to the west and Wheatley to the east.

The council said they will save an estimated 9,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, the equivalent of taking more than 6,000 cars off the road.

The council will receive the funding after its cabinet approves proposed traffic filters. The financial commitment from the bus operators is dependent on journey times being cut across the city.

Bill Cotton, the council's director for environment and place, said: "This is wonderful news for Oxfordshire and a major leap forward for transport decarbonisation and cleaner air in the county.

"Along with other transport schemes proposed in Oxford, this new fleet of electric buses will transform our public transport system and encourage more people to travel by bus."

Providers Stagecoach and Oxford Bus Company will help roll out the new buses.

Phil Southall, managing director of Oxford Bus Company, Thames Travel and City Sightseeing Oxford, said the buses are a "pivotal step" in improving the city's air quality.

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