Funding awarded for 17 more electric buses in Reading

A further 17 electric buses are coming to Reading thanks to a £3 million grant announced by the Department for Transport today.

The latest funding, secured by the council with Reading Buses, will bring the total number of electric double deckers in the town to 49.

The high-spec new buses with high back comfy seats, heating and air conditioning, will operate on the Reading Buses emerald 5 & 6 routes which serve south Reading, and other routes in the borough.

Reading Buses already has one of the most eco-friendly fleets in the country and the addition of another 17 electric buses will further support the Council’s aims of encouraging public transport use, reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality for the health of Reading residents.

Reading’s first fleet of 24 battery electric buses started operating on the Reading Buses purple 17 and claret 21 routes in February.

Another eight zero-emission double deckers are due to start carrying passengers on the yellow 26 route, which serves Calcot via Southcote, Ford’s Farm and Beansheaf, this summer.

The £3m government grant from the Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) 2 project will expand the electric bus network to the emerald 5 route, which runs between the town centre and Northumberland Avenue, and emerald 6 which serves Whitley Wood, in summer 2027. The remaining additional buses for other routes will arrive in 2028.

A total of £9m of DfT funding has been secured by the Council and Reading Buses for high-spec electric buses, plus the installation of charging stations and power upgrades at the Great Knollys Street depot.

The latest funding provides for 75% of the difference in cost of buying a zero-emission bus compared with a regular diesel bus and 75% of the cost of nine additional vehicle chargers, with the remainder being funded by Reading Buses.

Cllr John Ennis, Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport, said:

“It is excellent news for bus passengers in Reading that the Council and Reading Buses have secured a further £3m of government funding for another 17 electric buses for the town.

“Passenger have already been travelling on the modern and comfortable new electric buses on the purple 17 and claret 21 routes and I am looking forward to the arrival of eight more on the yellow 26 Southcote and Calcot route this summer. I am delighted that residents in south Reading and other parts of the borough will also benefit from these new buses over the next two years.  

“The Council has invested heavily in making public transport more reliable, accessible and convenient to use around Reading and we have seen the number of passengers continuing to grow.

“Not only do these zero-emission buses provide a smooth and quiet journey, they also transport thousands of people around Reading every day without emitting any harmful, polluting fumes.”

Robert Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Reading Buses, said:

“Our electric buses have proven popular with customers and drivers alike, and we are very pleased that we will be able to continue rolling these zero emission buses out onto more routes in the coming years.”