New electric buses for summer 2026

First West of England is to invest more than £90 million in 160 new electric buses, creating ‘smoother, quieter, and greener’ journeys.

The new fleet will be operating across Bristol, Somerset, and Wiltshire by summer 2026 as part of the operator’s mission to cut its emissions over the next 10 years.

During the project, which the bus firm and the government are jointly funding, there will be an electrification of the depots at Weston Island in Bath and Lawrence Hill in Bristol.

Doug Claringbold, managing director of First West of England, said: ‘We’re now a year away from nearly half our fleet being electric and nearly all our depots being electrified; that’s a phenomenal achievement.’