New fleet of electric buses for North Derbyshire

Electric buses are heading for Derbyshire following a joint bid by Derbyshire County Council and Stagecoach for Government funding to replace diesel models with a new, ‘clean energy’ fleet of electric buses.

£5.1m has been awarded by the Government to support Stagecoach in purchasing 57 electric buses for their depot in Chesterfield – as well as vehicle charging infrastructure for the depot. This move will help to reduce the level of carbon emissions from transport in the county as well as helping to improve local air quality.

Stagecoach is also investing £25.31m towards the cost of the zero-emission fleet, which will run on 13 local bus services across Derbyshire.

The new buses will operate both in rural areas, such as the Peak District National Park, and urban town centres which can experience concerns around air quality and congestion.

Areas to be served by the new fleet include Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derbyshire Dales and North East Derbyshire.

Matt Kitchin, Managing Director at Stagecoach in Chesterfield, said: “Sustainable forms of public transport are key to reducing congestion and improving air quality across the region and we are excited to invest in these state-of-the-art vehicles to encourage more people to make the switch to bus travel”.

Councillor Charlotte Cupit, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Assets and Transport, said: “We’re pleased we were able to work together with Stagecoach and the Government to bring about this successful bid for funding.

“The bid supports our Bus Service Improvement Plan, which has brought about improvements to more than 20 bus services so far, more real time information to help passengers, and offers on tickets to lower the cost of public transport for many.”

Councillor Barry Lewis, Leader of Derbyshire County Council and Cabinet Member for Strategic Leadership, Culture, Tourism and Climate Change, added: “Moving to electric buses is something many residents have raised as part of our wider bus improvement work, so we’re pleased this is a big step in the right direction.

“Reducing carbon emissions from transport in Derbyshire is a key area of focus as part of our Climate Change Strategy. This is a great example of how we are working with businesses and the local community on our journey to becoming a net zero county to help tackle climate change.”

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “As part of our plan to improve local transport in the East Midlands, we’re providing over £25 million to roll out 177 brand new zero-emission buses across the region.

“This latest investment into our bus fleet comes on top of the £3.5 billion we have invested into our bus network since 2020, protecting and improving bus routes into 2025 as well as extending the £2 bus fare cap until the end of 2024, made possible by reallocated HS2 funding.”

The new zero-emission fleet will consist of 39 double-deckers and 18 single deck buses and will also comply with Enhanced Accessibility requirements with extra space for wheelchair users and people with pushchairs or prams.