Electric Buses

Hull City Council, working through the Hull Bus Alliance and in partnership with East Riding of Yorkshire Council, has successfully secured almost £10 million in funding to support the rollout of electric buses in Hull and the East Riding through the Government’s ZEBRA2 (zero emission bus regional areas) project.

The funding has supported the installation of charging facilities at the depots for both Stagecoach East Midlands and East Yorkshire, as well as the purchase of 82 new electric buses to operate on the region’s roads.

There are currently no electric or hybrid buses operating on public routes in Hull, and the new vehicles will replace a significant proportion of both operators’ older diesel fleets, which are nearing the end of their serviceable lives.

Currently, around 200 diesel vehicles operate on the city’s roads each day.

The initial joint bid for funding was submitted in November 2023, with the Government announcing, in March 2024, that this had been successful, with an allocation of around £6m being made available for the purchase of 40 electric buses and the installation of associated charging infrastructure.

As part of the bid, Hull City Council committed capital funding of its own towards the installation of EV chargers at Stagecoach’s Foster Street Depot and East Yorkshire’s Anlaby Road Depot.

In October 2024, Stagecoach submitted a national order for electric buses with Alexander Dennis and East Yorkshire, via the Go-Ahead Group, submitted an order to Wright Bus.

In April 2025, the Government announced additional funding, around £3.9 million, for the purchase of 42 more vehicles.

The new electric buses will replace existing diesel vehicles operated by both bus companies in Hull and the East Riding.

Electric buses run on rechargeable batteries and are quieter and provide a smoother ride. They are also easier to maintain, which will improve the reliability and performance of bus services.

They have a range of up to several hundred miles and are charged externally, usually at the depot on a plug, after the end of service.

Although buses make up a small proportion of overall emissions, transport is now the UK’s largest emitter of carbon.

Unlike diesel buses, electric buses produce no carbon emissions or nitrogen oxides, so they can contribute to improved air quality and reduce other concerns that residents and communities have, such as noise pollution.

Both operators are nearing completion of the installation of their EV charging infrastructure, which is anticipated to go live in the spring.

Both operators will soon take delivery of their new vehicles and begin driver training.

It is anticipated that the new buses will begin serving passengers and communities in Hull and the East Riding in late spring/early summer.