UK, Harrogate Bus Company is set to deploy 19 Mercedes eCitaro (and 19 Alexander Dennis Enviro 400EV)

The Harrogate Bus Company has placed orders worth £21 million for 39 new buses (20 Mercedes eCitaro and 19 Alexander Dennis Enviro 400EV) and to equip its depot to convert its entire Harrogate fleet to fully electric power.

The orders are supported by £7.8 million of funding from the Government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) funding, following a successful bid by Harrogate-based parent firm Transdev’s partner, North Yorkshire Council. Harrogate is located 15 miles north of Leeds.

Mercedes eCitaro for the UK market

Transdev’s new vehicle orders “follow successful trials of several types of all-electric buses on three varied routes in and around Harrogate, and on its high-frequency Shuttle route linking Bradford and Keighley – the operator says -. The Harrogate Bus Company will now work with teams from the two suppliers who will build its new fleet to ensure its in-house engineering teams have the training and upskilling needed to deliver the best performance from its all-electric bus transformation”.

The order consist of 20 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro all-electric single deck buses, to be used on The Harrogate Bus Company’s busy urban route 1 between Harrogate and Knaresborough, route 7 linking Harrogate, Wetherby and Leeds, and rural route 24 between Harrogate and Pateley Bridge. Also part of the order 19 new Alexander Dennis Enviro 400EV fully electric double deck buses, to relaunch flagship route, The 36 linking Ripon, Harrogate and Leeds. These will be among the first of this new British-built design to enter service

Harrogate Bus Company bus electrification project ahead

Transdev Managing Director Henri Rohard said: “We’re delighted to launch our depot and bus electrification project. It is an important evolution in the quality and sustainability of our network in and around our home town of Harrogate. All our bus fleet will be renewed in the process, giving our Harrogate Bus Company the most modern and passenger oriented network. The project has been made possible thanks to the significant support from the Government’s ZEBRA fund. In combination with our existing eight Harrogate Electric-branded Volvo 7900E electric buses, the first of their kind in Britain, 47 fully-electric vehicles are now expected to be in service in Spring 2024. Higher power output delivered by today’s new generation batteries means each bus can go further between charge-ups – and to make sure we provide a reliable service, our buses will also have top-up charges at Harrogate Bus Station, as they will travel further in a day than the maximum range achievable by fully electric buses.”

Roads Minister Richard Holden said: “It’s fantastic to see Transdev turn its Harrogate fleet to fully electric by ordering 39 new electric buses. This has been supported by us providing nearly £8 million to North Yorkshire Council through the ZEBRA scheme. We’ve awarded £330 million of dedicated funding for zero emission buses in England excluding London, as we continue in our quest to decarbonise transport and reach net zero by 2050.”

Alexander Dennis National Sales Manager Marie Connell said: “We’re thrilled to be a part of Transdev Blazefield’s electrification project with this order for our next-generation Enviro400EV zero-emission double decker. Yorkshire’s iconic route 36 will once again be setting standards with a stunning new fleet of electric buses. Transdev will benefit from whole-vehicle AD24 aftermarket support including spare parts, mobile technicians and our Training Academy. We’re further enhancing this with the introduction of fully digital manuals which will transform the way Transdev’s team members will be able to access expert information on their new fleet.”