Taking an Oxford bus will soon be an ever more eco-friendly choice, with the fleet set to be all electric this summer for around 55,000 daily passengers in the county.

An Oxford Bus Company spokesperson explained that the process began in May last year and the team is confident it is almost complete. 

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The spokesperson said: "One of our core values is ‘care for our environment’ and we take our commitment and responsibility seriously.

"We’re committed to not just helping people travel, but to do it in a way that is kind to our environment and contributes positively to the communities we serve.

"Currently we are three-quarters of the way into our transition to electric for our city fleet.

"It means we have 80 of the planned 104 electric vehicles in service."

Once the electric project is completed later this summer, all buses operating wholly within Oxford city are set to be electric, with this making up around 40 per cent of the total Oxfordshire fleet.

Oxford Bus Company's parent company the Go-Ahead group has a target to reduce emissions by 75 per cent by 2035 and to become net-zero by 2045. 

In line with that goal, Oxford Bus Company came together with Oxfordshire County Council and Stagecoach in January 2023 to announce their ambitious plan to launch one of the biggest electric bus fleets outside of London.

A spokesperson said: "The £82.5M project will provide a more sustainable, environmentally friendly public transport system that will radically improve air quality in Oxford.

"This was made possible via bus operator investment and funding via the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Buses for Regional Areas scheme.

"Electric buses offer a smoother, quieter ride, free from vibrations, noise and emissions associated with traditional buses.

"We hope this will enable us to attract more people to using buses, further reducing carbon emissions in our community."

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To assist this transition, the team has installed an electricity substation and 104 high voltage charging points at Cowley depot to support the rapid charging of electric buses. Solar panels have also been fitted at the Cowley Depot, and Didcot depot to help power the sites.

The new electric buses were purchased directly from Wrightbus, a British manufacturer, with the move to electric also involving retraining the engineering team. 

A spokesperson said: "Our engineering team, who are expert diesel mechanics, have had to re-train to ensure they also now have the skills needed to look after a large fleet of EVs.

"Our scheduling team now need to take account of the range of the vehicle, and the need to plan in top-up charging for some routes - so as well as making sure drivers get a break, they now need to think about the bus getting a break too. 

"And our driving team have had to get used to a number of changes in how the vehicles drive - with new high-tech mirror systems, different starting and stopping procedures, and no gears or engine noise." 

The Oxford Mail and Oxford City Council are looking to find Oxford’s climate heroes to reward and celebrate those making a difference in our community.

Keep an eye on our climate coverage and let us know your green heroes.