MORE than £2.5million has been secured to purchase new electric buses in Staffordshire.
The Government funding was secured by Staffordshire County Council as part of a partnership with Diamond Bus.
It will allow the purchase of eight electric vehicles and charging equipment.
Darryl Eyers, Staffordshire County Council’s director for economy, infrastructure and skills, said:
“I am delighted our partnership with Diamond Bus has resulted in this investment, which helps move us towards reducing carbon emissions.”
Two of the new buses will be used on the X12 service between Lichfield and Burton.
Simon Dunn, CEO of Rotala Ltd – the parent company of Diamond Bus – said:
“We are very proud to be working with Staffordshire County Council to deliver some great benefits to bus passengers.
“One of our key business goals is to be able to bring zero emission buses to our customers and the award of this funding has enabled us to invest in eight brand new electric buses for the region.
“This commitment means that we have also invested in new infrastructure at our Burton depot to support the operation of electric buses moving forward.
“It’s great news for the region to bring cleaner, more sustainable bus services to the Staffordshire community.”