Liverpool plans to introduce 20 hydrogen buses to busiest city route
A new project is planning to bring 20 hydrogen-powered double-deck buses to the streets of the Liverpool City Region. The zero-emission vehicles will be directly funded by the Combined Authority and, like the new trains for the Merseyrail network, will be owned by the Liverpool City Region.
The project, which is set to secure funding of up to £12.5million from the Transforming Cities Fund, is a key part of the Metro Mayor’s ‘Vision for Bus’, which commits to using the powers available through devolution to build a better, more reliable and affordable bus network for the Liverpool City Region.
The announcement also follows the publication of the government’s National Bus Strategy.
Plans for the hydrogen bus project also include the building of refuelling facilities, which will be the first of their kind in the north west. Construction of the new hydrogen refuelling facilities is planned to begin later in the year.
It is anticipated that the buses will initially serve the 10A route between St Helens and Liverpool city centre – the City Region’s busiest bus route, operated jointly by Arriva and Stagecoach.
“In the Liverpool City Region we are already leaders in green technology and the low-carbon economy and this project will bring 20 brand new hydrogen-powered buses to our streets in another very exciting step forward,” says Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region. “The new state-of-the-art vehicles will help our city region tackle poor air quality and achieve our ambition of being net zero carbon by 2040.
“It’s another example of how we’re using the power of devolution to make things greener and cleaner and improve our transport system to make it more reliable, attractive and affordable for everyone who lives and works here.”