These new Coventry buses don't make any engine noise

Bus passengers in Coventry will soon be going for a smoother ride on one of the city's new fully electric buses.

The city will be getting 10 new zero emission buses after Coventry City Council and National Express won £2.2million of government funding to invest in cleaner and greener buses.

As well as providing a smoother ride for passengers, the buses will be much better for the environment than their previous counterparts.

There will be no engine noise and no emissions produced.

They will be used on major routes that regularly suffer traffic jams and have been identified as air pollution hotspots.

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The city is under severe pressure from the government to reduce its nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels, which are forecast to exceed legal limits in 2021.

Failure to do so could see a 'Clean Air Zone' imposed on the city.

Air pollution

Council leaders have been devising a Local Air Quality Action Plan to tackle this, including proposals to encourage the use of electric-powered taxis, introducing new walking and cycling routes and improving road layouts.

One idea to tackle pollution at the worst hotspot in Coventry - Holyhead Road - is to close Coundon Road.

Solar chargers

The new buses will also need rapid chargers, with 10 being installed at the depot on Ford Street.

They have solar panels which will harvest energy during the day so the buses can be recharged at night.

Cllr Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs and regeneration at Coventry City Council, said: “In Coventry we are developing a local air quality plan that will embrace new technologies and identify improvements to air quality that will have a lasting impact on the city.

“A key part of this plan is to reduce vehicle emissions, and that’s why it’s such good news that we have secured this funding to help improve our bus fleet emission standards.”

What has already been done to tackle air pollution?

The new electric buses will complement other measures being delivered through the West Midlands Bus Alliance partnership to tackle congestion and poor air quality in the city, such as junction improvements and upgrades to traffic control systems.

More than 100 of the 153-strong fleet of National Express buses in Coventry have already been retrofitted to make them more environmentally friendly.

The bus operator also kicked off 2019 with £5 million worth of brand new buses for the city with some of the cleanest engines on the market.

The 17 top-spec Platinum double deckers feature extra leg room, free wi-fi and USB chargers.

They also have hybrid engines which emit low levels of the pollutant nitrogen oxide.

They will be running on the university routes - the 11, 11U and 12X, which also go to the station and Earlsdon.

By 2020, at least seven per cent of National Express buses in Coventry will be zero emission.

The company says it hopes harmful emissions on the routes served by the electric buses will be reduced by 37 per cent annually.

National roll-out

The £2.2 million for Coventry’s fleet is part of a national £48 million investment announced by Transport Minister Nusrat Ghani at the UK Bus Summit last week.

The funding aims to improve local air quality by cutting pollution and emissions which cause climate change .

Coventry City Council, National Express and Transport for West Midlands worked together on the joint bid for funding from the Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme.

What National Express said

Matt King, Operations Manager for National Express Coventry, said: “As part of our Bus Alliance with Transport for West Midlands and Coventry City Council, we work very closely together on our commitment to improve air quality and reduce harmful emissions in the communities we serve.

“We’re delighted to have secured this funding to help us deliver 10 brand new electric buses for the city of Coventry.

"Customers will notice a smoother drive, as well as no engine noise. And of course they can ride easy knowing they are making no emissions at all.”

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