Oxford Bus Company breaks electric milestone as it celebrates Earth Day

To mark Earth Day Oxford Bus Group has announced it has reached the halfway point of its roll-out of electric vehicles.

It confirmed 52 of the 104 vehicles are now on the road, as part of its ground breaking commitment to sustainability and its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint in the city of Oxford. The vehicles are used on its city fleets and its City Sightseeing Oxford open-top tours.

Oxford Bus Company also installed an electricity substation, and 104 high voltage charging points at its Cowley depot to support the rapid charging of the electric buses.

The Go-Ahead Group, the parent company of Oxford Bus Company has a target to reduce emissions by 75% by 2035 and becoming a net-zero company by 2045.

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Oxford Bus Company, said: “We’re making excellent progress in our journey to transform our city fleet into an all-electric service to further help improve air quality in the communities we serve.

“We wholeheartedly support Earth Day; it is a great initiative that celebrates sustainability and encourages people to make small changes to help the environment. 

“Buses of all types help reduce congestion and vastly improve air quality, which is key to helping address the climate emergency. Our multi-million investment in clean technology is radically improving the environment and underlines Go-Ahead's commitment to becoming net-zero.

“Making small adjustments to travel routines can help us realise of our collective goal of achieving net-zero emissions in Oxford. We hope Earth Day encourages people to take part and use it as an opportunity to see what buses have to offer, especially while single fares are currently capped at £2.”

Last year Oxford Bus Company in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council and Stagecoach signed a deal to collectively introduce 159 electric buses into service.

In 2020 Oxford Bus Company introduced the first electric bus to Oxford via its City Sightseeing Oxford fleet. It now has three retrofitted electric vehicles in its fleet, which were delivered in partnership with Oxford City Council.

An Oxford City Council air quality report recently revealed with NOx emissions from buses has decreased by half since 2013. Buses now contribute less pollution than cars in Oxford city centre.