Glasgow to get 126 e-buses

Probably the largest electric bus order for Scotland will see 126 zero-emission buses from the Alexander Dennis Limited and BYD UK electric vehicle partnership (BYD ADL) go to First Bus for Glasgow.

This firm order includes 91 double-deck and 35 single-deck buses and the order is partially funded by the Scottish Government through the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme (SULEB).

The deal has been announced by NFI Group, one of the world’s leading independent global bus manufacturers, of which ADL is a subsidiary, which says the e-buses will be introduced to the Glasgow city bus network by March 2023.

They will join two BYD ADL Enviro200EV that have been operating since January 2020, as well as 22 similar single deck buses ordered in February 2021 for delivery ahead of the UN’s COP26 climate summit.

ADL will have a total 150 electric buses in service in Scotland’s largest city.

Using BYD’s battery electric driveline technology, ADL will assemble the e-buses at its Falkirk factory.

“We are excited about this large investment by First Bus in new zero-emission electric buses as NFI and our partner BYD continue to drive electric mobility in the UK,” NFI president and chief executive Paul Soubry says.

First Bus aims for a zero-carbon bus fleet by 2035.

“We have led the way with bus operators in Glasgow as a key partner of Glasgow City Council for the country’s first ever LEZ rollout, and this latest announcement helps us to deliver shared objectives and make up lost time due to the pandemic,” First Glasgow managing director Andrew Jarvis says.

NFI’s battery-electric and fuel-cell electric vehicles are in more than 80 cities in four countries.