Bus industry swaps steering wheels for spades for milestone environmental project

The 200-metre stretch of hedgerow, planted at Olden Farm in Cowhill near Thornbury, was part of a partnership between bus supplier Pelican Bus and Coach and Carma, a UK-based organisation that develops and manages woodland projects across the country while also supporting veterans back into work.

Pelican Bus and Coach has committed to planting 10 trees for every electric bus supplied, and on Monday staff from First Bus joined a planting day in recognition of electric buses supplied to it from Pelican.

Also pulling on her wellies for the environmental project was the West of England Mayor Helen Godwin, who is investing government funding into new electric buses and the electrification of First Bus’ depots in the West of England. She was also joined by veterans, who benefit from employment and rehabilitation initiatives through Carma’s tree planting days and charitable donations.

Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said: “I was delighted to be part of the tree planting in Thornbury with the team from First Bus. Our region cares deeply about the environment, so people will be proud that our new green buses also mean more trees for our part of the world.

“Local nature and wildlife will be better off thanks to this bus industry partnership, while our growing fleet of electric buses are already reducing pollution and congestion around the West of England. We can look forward to seeing more than 250 green buses on our streets later this year, as a result of our investment in Bath and Bristol with First Bus and national government.”

So far in the West of England, First Bus, working closely with the West of England Combined Authority and North Somerset Council, has electrified two depots at Weston-super-Mare and Hengrove in south Bristol, and introduced 98 electric buses to its network. Later this year, 160 more zero emission buses will bring the West of England’s total to 258 – almost half the region’s fleet, and two more depots will be electrified in Bath and Lawrence Hill in Bristol.

Among those planting trees was Doug Claringbold, the Managing Director of First Bus in the West of England. He said: “We have made huge progress in decarbonising our fleet of vehicles and electrifying our depots in the West of England, and this joint planting day has demonstrated how we’re helping to protect the environment even further. As well as cleaning up our streets and air, we’re also improving our local countryside and helping wildlife thrive.

“Our decarbonisation journey has been an example of great partnership work. With the help of the West of England Mayor and bus suppliers, by the end of this year we’ll have more than 250 electric buses on our region’s streets and we would have electrified four of our five depots in the region as part of our commitment to operate a fully electric fleet by 2035.”

The planting, which took place at a small holding owned by veteran and retired police officer John Underhill, who opens it up to the local community and blue light service, is part of Pelican’s wider sustainability programme. The company’s Head of Yutong UK, Ian Downie, said: “We’re proud to partner with Carma on such an important and worthwhile project. To date, nearly 6,000 trees have been planted, directly linked to electric vehicle sales. We are dedicated to a sustainable future, and the combination of our vehicles with planting trees is further evidence to our dedication towards this goal.”

Jim Holland, the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Carma, said: “Partnerships like this show what’s possible when businesses take climate action seriously. Every tree planted strengthens nature, but it also creates opportunity for veterans, and that’s what makes these projects so special.”