One of the UK’s largest bus operators has announced a massive boost for its decarbonisation journey as part of World Car Free Day.

First Bus Glasgow will see its bus fleet transformed to 40% electric following a £19.7m investment in 50 new electric buses that will be manufactured by Alexander Dennis Ltd.

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The new buses are expected to arrive next year and the full fleet of 50 electric vehicles is expected to be in place by spring 2024.

By replacing older diesel buses the move is expected to save around 3023 tonnes of CO2e per year.

The Caledonia bus depot was recently transformed into the UK’s largest EV charging hub and work will begin on Glasgow’s Scotstoun depot to install rapid charging points to support the new buses.

The work will start before the end of the year and is expected to take 12 months to convert the depot into a second EV charging hub.

The massive order for electric buses is supported by Transport Scotland through its Scottish Zero Emission Bus (ScotZEB) funding which is part of a challenge to support the industry’s transition to zero-emission vehicles and infrastructure.

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Duncan Cameron, managing director at First Bus Scotland, said: “We’re incredibly proud of the rapid progress that we’ve made in Glasgow, and these new buses will make a significant impact to our mission to be emission-free by 2035.

“What we hope will make an even more sizeable impact on emissions and air quality in Glasgow is people’s decision to choose bus as their mode of transport.

“These state-of-the-art new EVs will offer a more pleasant journey to passengers, and we hope that they’ll encourage more people in the city to leave their cars behind in favour of bus travel.

“We recently launched our Modal Shift campaign to put across the message that, with just some small changes to our daily routines, together we have the opportunity to transform our city’s congestion, air and noise pollution levels.”