A new electric bus service taking passengers on an orbital route connecting key sites around Leicester has been launched.
The 30-mile Orbital service – the UK’s longest electric circular bus route – will operate from Leicester General Hospital, connecting estates and suburbs on the city’s outer ring road and beyond.
Other locations include shopping centres, employment areas and other key transport infrastructure, with the service running in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions.
Leicester is the latest addition to the city’s Greenlines electric network, and is the fifth new service to be launched using the new council-owned electric buses.
The partnership project, with operator Centrebus, also includes a new electric bus charging depot at the firm’s Thurmaston depot.
The electric buses and charging depot have been partially funded with £1.21 million from the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme, making it the first ZEBRA-funded project to be delivered in the country.
Leicester City Council has invested £2.11m in the project, with the aim of removing a predicted 177 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year and reducing operational costs by over £60,000 a year.
The new route, which will replace the 40 Circleline service, comes into operation on October 24.
Ian Downie, Head of Yutong UK at Pelican, which is supplying the new buses operating on the Orbital route, said: “Our fully air conditioned Yutong vehicles are the most efficient single deck buses in the UK.
“The products are tried, tested and proven with enhanced passenger-centric features and bring class leading comfort to Leicester.”
