Greater Manchester has taken another step forward in driving a green revolution through the Bee Network with the first fully electric bus depot now complete in Tameside.
The depot in Ashton – one of just a few fully electric depots in the country – is now home to 83 Volvo BZL MCV Double Deck zero-tailpipe emission buses, making 14 routes fully electric.
The depot, which is operated by Metroline on behalf of TfGM, boasts 27 dual chargers allowing 54 electric buses to be charged at any one time.
By taking back control of local buses, Greater Manchester is delivering cleaner, greener and more reliable services, with over 300 electric buses now running across the Bee Network – a tenfold increase compared to pre-franchising.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:
“We’re driving a green revolution across the city region through investment in the Bee Network. To see us complete the first fully electric depot in Greater Manchester – and one of just a few in the country – shows, once again, we’re leading the way in making journeys cleaner and greener.
“With one in five buses now electric – up from 1% before franchising – we're transforming how people get around, with 14 more routes now served entirely by zero-emission buses.
“The Bee Network is already proving massively beneficial to residents and businesses across the city-region and the funding announced this week – which demonstrates confidence in what we are doing at the highest level – will enable us to go even further as we press ahead and create the UK’s first fully electric, zero emission integrated public transport system.”
Patrick Sibley, Regional CEO, Metroline, said: “We are proud at Metroline to operate Greater Manchester’s first fully Electric Bus depot for the Bee Network in Ashton. Since mobilisation, completing the electrification process at Ashton has been a key priority, and we have been working closely with TfGM, our electric infrastructure partners and Volvo to ensure that we were able to get more electric buses on the road.
“Though the journey has not been without challenges we are delighted to have 83 new electric buses join our now 160-strong electric fleet, and look forward to providing customers across Greater Manchester with zero-emission journeys on the Bee Network. We are committed to continuing to work with TfGM and their objective to achieve a fully electric Bee Network by 2030.”
TfGM is making rapid progress to electrify Greater Manchester’s bus depots, with upgrades already made at Bolton, Oldham and Hyde Road in Manchester, as the city region works towards a fully electric network by 2030. Further upgrades are being made at Middleton depot this year.
Image credit: Transport for Greater Manchester
