The Isle of Wight council and Southern Vectis have been successful in their bid for funding that will see a new fleet of 22 zero emission buses arrive on the Island.
The government has announced financial awards from its latest phase of the Department for Transport’s ZEBRA (Zero Emission Bus Regional Area) scheme.
This – combined with additional investment from Southern Vectis and the council – means a total of £12.7 million will be used to revolutionise the bus operator’s routes 1, 5 and 9.
Wickham: Newport depot will be upgraded with charging infrastructure
Southern Vectis managing director, Andrew Wickham, said,
“This is very exciting news, and it will put the Isle of Wight right at the forefront of sustainable transport.
“We are bringing 22 new, all electric, double decker buses into our fleet – and these are set to arrive in early 2026.
“Each bus will be equipped with tap on, tap off, technology for contactless payments, USB charging points for all seats, and next stop audio and visual announcements.
“The buses will also have a fully accessible wheel-chair ramp, audio loops, dementia-friendly internal colour schemes and CCTV for added security.
“Our Newport depot will be upgraded with charging infrastructure, and we will be working on the design of this over the coming months.
“All of this will have a significant impact in the Isle of Wight’s overall carbon emissions. It will also improve air quality here.
“The success of this bid is testament to the excellent working relationship we enjoy with Isle of Wight Council – and it gives us a wonderful opportunity to make the Island’s transport the envy of other areas of the UK and, indeed, the world.
“All of this also ties in perfectly with our parent company the Go-Ahead Group’s Climate Change Strategy – which has an overarching target to become a net zero car-bon business by 2045.”
Chandler: Working together can help achieve the very best for the Island
Stewart Chandler, the council’s transport strategy manager, added,
“I am delighted that electric buses will be landing on our Island soon. The arrival of zero-emission buses is a big step in cutting air pollution from transport as we work hard to address the climate crisis.
”The support that Southern Vectis has shown for this project demonstrates the excellent working relationship we have with the bus operator and how working together can help achieve the very best for the Island.”
The new fleet of electric buses is expected to arrive in February 2026.
Article edit
9.55am 22nd Mar 2024 – Photos of electric buses added
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed
