First Bus and Centrica announce new electric vehicle charging partnership
First Bus, one of the UK’s largest bus operators, and Centrica, the international energy and services company, are today announcing a major new partnership. The collaboration will see Centrica secure access to First Bus’ rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure at bus depots nationwide.
This innovative new deal sees Centrica join the ranks of Openreach, DPD and Police Scotland, plugging into this shared infrastructure initiative from First Bus.
The initial phase of the partnership will enable Centrica to charge a selection of its EV fleet at First Bus’ Leicester depot while buses are out on the road in service. This allows Centrica engineers to cover more ground, reduce their environmental impact, and dedicate more time to the needs of their customers. The partnership then has the potential to extend to further depots across the bus operator’s UK infrastructure in the future.
As an industry leader in the decarbonisation space, First Bus is harnessing its EV infrastructure to help support local communities and businesses to reach their environmental aspirations. This commitment also aligns with the commitment to achieve a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035.
The partnership officially launched at First Bus’ Leicester depot with a visit from Department for Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood MP, who joined representatives from First Bus and Centrica to highlight the critical role the electric vehicle infrastructure will play in reducing emissions and promoting sustainable transport.
Centrica currently has more than 3000 electric vehicles in its fleet but is aiming to convert all its diesel vehicles to zero-emissions by 2030.
Faizan Ahmad, Decarbonisation Programme Director at First Bus, said: "We're excited about this collaboration, showcasing the power of teamwork to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality in the communities we serve. The shift to electric is a journey for businesses nationwide, and we are offering a smart, community-friendly solution that's simple, effective and benefits everyone."
Rob Simister, Director of Fleet Operations at Centrica, said: “Our engineers carry out important work for our customers up and down the country every single day, and it’s their vehicles that get them where they need to be. As we continue to electrify our fleet, we’re always looking for innovative ways to address some of the operational challenges that comes with such a large transition. This partnership with First Bus will mean we’re more effective at getting to our customers, while speeding up the rollout of our electric vehicles. That’s good news for the country, our colleagues, and our customers.”
Minister for the Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood said: “It’s fantastic to see this partnership between First Bus and Centrica to help engineers in making the switch to electric.
“This Government is supporting more and more people to make the move to zero emission vehicles. Whether charging at home, in public, or in depots like this – we’re dedicated to making charging as easy as possible, with £200m announced in the Budget to further boost infrastructure across the country.”
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Notes to editors
About First Bus
At First Bus, we’re on a mission to grow bus usage – so we’ll get behind initiatives that move people out of cars and onto the bus.
We’re one of the UK’s largest bus operators, transporting more than a million customers a day. We serve over 20% of the population of Great Britain with our local bus services, and over half of the UK’s top 15 most populated urban areas.
Transforming our business for the better, we’re putting our people and customers at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we’re the UK’s largest national bus operator to achieve real Living Wage employer status, cementing our position as an employer of choice in the sector.
We’re all about making journeys easier for our customers, which is why we were the first national bus operator to roll out Tap On, Tap Off payment technology across our entire fleet of around 4,500 buses. Our First Bus app has also been voted ‘best in class’ amongst UK bus operators.
First Bus is committed to operating a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035. We already operate over 600 zero-emission buses – that’s 14% of our overall fleet.
We’re passionate about giving back to the communities we serve, which is why we’re helping local businesses to progress their own decarbonisation journeys – giving them access to our charging hubs while our buses are on the road.
We also operate the Aircoach network in Ireland, Specialist Passenger Solutions, First Travel Solutions, York Pullman Bus Company and Ensignbus. First Bus is a division of FirstGroup.
Find more information on our website here: https://news.firstbus.co.uk/