'Important moment' as 50 electric buses join fleet

George ThorpeSouth West
Cornwall Council A red double decker bus in Cornwall. The vehicle is electric. A harbour with several boats on the water is in the background.Cornwall Council
A total of 50 electric buses have started operating on Plymouth Citybus and Go Cornwall Bus routes

Dozens of new electric buses are now in service as part of a multi-million-pound project, a transport firm said.

Plymouth Citybus and Go Cornwall Bus said 50 zero-emission double-deckers were operating across routes in Plymouth and the Rame peninsula as part of a project to replace almost half of its fleet with "cleaner, quieter and more accessible vehicles".

The vehicles were added to the fleet through a £31.87m project jointly funded by bus operators, the Department for Transport, Plymouth City Council and Cornwall Council.

Richard Stevens, managing director of Plymouth Citybus and Go Cornwall Bus, said the electric buses marked an "important moment" for the firms.

"This fleet brings cleaner air, quieter streets and an improved travel experience for our passengers," Mr Stevens said.

The project has also provided an upgrade to Milehouse bus depot in Plymouth.

Wrightbus, the manufacturer of the double-deckers, has also funded the planting of 500 trees - 10 for each electric bus - across Plymouth and south east Cornwall as part of the project.

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