{"id":2379,"date":"2021-01-19T08:00:43","date_gmt":"2021-01-19T08:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/?p=1334478"},"modified":"2021-01-19T08:00:43","modified_gmt":"2021-01-19T08:00:43","slug":"uk-cities-are-getting-all-electric-bus-fleets-starting-with-oxford-and-coventry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=2379","title":{"rendered":"UK cities are getting all-electric bus fleets, starting with Oxford and Coventry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article was originally published by Christopher Carey<\/a> on <\/span>Cities Today<\/span><\/a>, the leading news platform on urban mobility and innovation, reaching an international audience of city leaders. For the latest updates follow Cities Today on <\/span>Twitter<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Facebook<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>LinkedIn<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Instagram<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>YouTube<\/span><\/a>, or sign up for Cities Today News.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Oxford and Coventry are set to become the first UK cities to run their bus fleets entirely on electric energy through a Department for Transport competition<\/a> to improve air quality and reduce emissions across England.<\/p>\n

The <\/span>proposals<\/a> <\/span>could see both cities receive a \u00a350 million (US$68 million) injection to replace fleets and install new infrastructures, such as charging stations and electric grid updates.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the announcement, West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said: \u201cTurning all of Coventry\u2019s bus fleet electric is not only a major boost to public transport in the city, but it will also help tackle the climate emergency we face both here in the West Midlands and the wider UK.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u00a350 million schemes will be supported by a further \u00a375 million worth of investment from local bus operators into the new electric buses.<\/p>\n

In total, 19 regions applied for the competition, with applicants required to demonstrate buy-in from stakeholders in their local areas; outline existing plans to reduce greenhouse gases and improve air quality, and show how their plans would tackle an existing air quality problem.<\/p>\n

[Read: How Netflix shapes mainstream culture, explained by data<\/span><\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n

Oxfordshire County Council Leader, Cllr Ian Hudspeth, said: \u201cOxfordshire\u2019s bid comes at a time when our council is determined to take concerted climate action to cut vehicle air pollution and expand the provision of bus services with our <\/span>Zero Emission Zone<\/a> and Connecting Oxford<\/a> plans.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis council is committed to offering our residents a clean and environmentally sustainable future through a series of steps including through better public transport.\u201d<\/p>\n

Going green<\/h2>\n

In February 2020,  the UK government announced <\/span>\u00a35 billion<\/a> <\/span>in funding for a new \u2018golden era\u2019 of bus and active travel.<\/p>\n

The five-year package of investment plans to boost bus services by focusing on a range of priorities, including:<\/p>\n