Stagecoach has taken delivery of 20 zero-emission Yutong single-decker electric buses that will enter service next month on routes between South Shields, Whitburn, and Sunderland.
The vehicles, supplied by Pelican Bus + Coach, include full electric air conditioning, and feature improved on-board accessibility features.
A total of ten twin electric charging points are being installed at Stagecoach’s Sunderland depot to serve the vehicles, which will carry 30,000 passengers each week.
The North East Combined Authority has funded the vehicles as part of a major £19.5m Levelling Up Fund investment to decarbonise transport in the region.
Along with additional funding from the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme, in total 95 new electric buses will join the region’s growing electric fleet in 2025.
Future phases of investment in the North East will see 18 electric buses introduced on routes in Newcastle.
Nationally, Stagecoach is investing more than £300m in 824 electric vehicles, associated infrastructure, and upskilling, enabled by £100m of funding through local authorities from the Department for Transport and Transport Scotland’s zero-emission bus regional area schemes.
The bus operator aims to become net-zero in the UK by 2035.
Steve Walker, managing director of Stagecoach North East, said: “By March 2026 we’ll have 40 sites live across the country (with electric buses) and we’ll have added 500 more electric vehicles, giving us 1,083 zero-emission buses in total.
“That’s 13 percent of the fleet.
“Embracing decarbonisation also means adapting the way we work, positively improving our ways of working and the working environment.”