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York to get 24 new electric buses for park-and-ride fleet

BBC City of York Council busBBC
The existing fleet of electric buses is to be joined by 24 new vehicles.

The first fully electric park-and-ride bus fleet in the country is set for the tourist hotspot of York, the city council has announced.

The authority has won a bid for £3.3m from the Department for Transport to help fund 24 new emission-free buses.

The new 18 double-deckers and six larger single-deckers will join the pre-existing 14-vehicle electric fleet.

When the buses arrive, about a third of bus journeys will be on low emission vehicles, York Council said.

There is no confirmed date for the new fleet to start.

It is hoped the double-deckers, which will have a 200kWh battery, will run all day on a single charge, the council said.

York Minster
More than 610,000 people visited York Minster in 2016, said the church

Almost seven million tourists spend more than £600m each year in York, according to Visit York's 2016 figures.

There are six park-and-ride sites around the city to help reduce traffic in the city centre.

Councillor Ian Gillies said it was "exceptional news" and "a step towards a full electric bus fleet for York".

The new buses will also help the city to meet air quality measures, the council added.