Brighton & Hove and Metrobus has ordered 20 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles from Wrightbus, for deployment in the Crawley, Redhill and Gatwick Airport areas.
The single-decker GB Kite Hydroliner buses will be delivered in June 2022 and be the first hydrogen powered vehicles in Go-Ahead’s fleet of more than 6,000 buses.
They are part funded with money from UK Government and European Union zero-emission bus schemes and will be used on the Fastway routes – a network of guided busways and dedicated bus lanes designed to speed buses past congestion hotspots.
Brighton & Hove and Metrobus is also pursuing a second tranche of a further 34 buses to operate on other services in the Fastway bus rapid transit network.
If completed, this has the potential to be Europe’s biggest local fleet of hydrogen buses to date.
Go-Ahead is already the UK’s largest operator of zero-emission electric buses, with a fleet of nearly 300 nationwide, but this is the group’s first venture into hydrogen.
David Brown, Chief Executive of The Go-Ahead Group, said: “This is a significant milestone for Go-Ahead as we work towards our goal of a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035. These buses will be clean, green and will provide a comfortable journey for passengers.
“New technology is only one piece of the puzzle though in addressing climate change – we also need to encourage a large-scale change in behaviour by persuading people to switch from cars to walking, cycling and public transport.”
