"Stylish" new electric buses unveiled in Portsmouth with 62 vehicles being rolled out - bus routes

A total of 62 environmentally friendly vehicles are being rolled out as part of a big push to get more people using public transport. Two of the newest buses were on display in Guildhall Square yesterday morning (March 11) with people hopping on to see them up close.

The government awarded £12.7m to Portsmouth City Council, Hampshire County Council and First Bus as part of its Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme. Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, cabinet member for transport, told The News: "They’re really good. It has been great to go on a ride around the city in them. They’re really quiet but most importantly, they don’t chuck out fumes. They will really help with reducing air pollution.

"They’re new, modern, have Wi-Fi and they’re comfortable. It is another way to encourage people to use the bus and choose to leave the car at home." The new single decker vehicles will be rolled out from this month, and will be issued across Portsmouth, Gosport, Havant and Fareham. The entire fleet is expected to be operational in April. First Bus has invested £15.9m into a new electric bus depot at Hoeford in Gosport Road, Fareham, to accommodate them. Each vehicle takes two and a half hours to charge, and cost £350,000. Cllr Vernon-Jackson said Portsmouth has 17,000 more cars on the roads than 10 years ago, with the local authority wanting to provide a reliable alternative.

"Lots of people don’t have cars, but for people who do, we want to encourage them to leave it at home and use public transport, or walk, or cycle," he added. "The project is good for the economy, the environment and the city itself. We’re making bus services way better here in Portsmouth. We’ve got night buses for the first time in years, others running earlier in the morning and at weekends. We’re investing and trying to make sure there is a really good alternative to going by car." The Liberal Democrat councillor, of Milton ward, said the council is seeing monthly increases of people using buses.

Simon Goff, managing director of First South, said the project is "hugely exciting". The 40-year-old added: "We’ve invested in electric vehicles right across the UK, and we have made a clear commitment that by 2035, our plan is to have a completely zero-emission fleet. We have invested in electric vehicles because we are in a climate emergency, and we see it as our responsibility to reduce the emissions in Portsmouth, and introducing a zero-emission fleet is a step in the right direction." Mr Goff, who has worked at First Bus for 17 years, said the company expects to see an uptick in passengers when the electric fleet is fully introduced, describing Portsmouth as a "buoyant market".

"I’m absolutely convinced that we are going to see the ongoing growth of people using the buses," he added. We felt it was important to utilise as much of the network as we possibly can. They’re a smooth ride. The drivers love them. I’m sure our passengers will see the difference straight away." Mr Goff added there has been a £48m bus improvement plan for Portsmouth to improve the speed of journeys and reduce travel costs.

Connor Wilson, 18, travelled from Bognor to see the new buses. "I’m tall and there are a lot of seats I can barely sit on, but with these ones, there’s a lot of legroom," he said. "They’re definitely going to be enjoyed by the public. Hopefully more people will use them while it’s £2 a ticket at the moment. It’s a good thing to get people on the buses, and while it’s capped, it’s a lot cheaper than getting returns all the time. The drivers were telling me they were getting to capacity a lot more with the capped tickets, and all the problems with the trains."

Terry Moore, 57, of Portsmouth, a former bus driver who worked in the role for 16 years, said the new vehicles are "stylish and posh". The self-confessed bus fanatic said they are much different to the vehicles he used to drive. "It’s just like getting a twin tub years ago and now getting a new washing machine," he said. "I’m looking forward to going round and ticking numbers off. They’ve got to make it work because of the environment. The drivers like them because they’re smoother. I’ve been to Leicester and Norwich where they have then, and the drivers love them."

Which routes will the electric buses be used on?

The new fleet will be used including the number X4 (from The Hard, Fareham and Southampton), number 1 (from The Hard to South Parade Pier via Fratton), number 3 (from Fareham to South Parade Pier), number X5 from Gosport to Southampton via Fareham and the Eclipse route between Gosport and Fareham.