City of York Council (CYC) is committed to working towards a cleaner bus network, reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality. We need to make Public Transport in York more sustainable as well as a more attractive proposition.
The Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme is an initiative by the Department for Transport (DfT) to decarbonise public transport by inviting Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) to bid for funding to subsidise the purchase of zero emission buses (ZEBs) and associated infrastructure.
ZEBRA 1
In 2022, CYC was successful in its ZEBRA bid and received £8.4 million of funding from the DfT, plus £10.2 million from First Bus York, which was used to deliver 44 new electric buses and associated charging equipment.
Successful LTAs were invited to apply for additional funding from the scheme later that year. CYC submitted an application to electrify all the remaining First Bus York operated routes and completely electrify their depot.
We were again successful in our bid. As a result, all First Bus York buses (53 ZEBRA funded, plus 33 existing) and the First York depot became completely zero emission in 2024. This amounts to over half the buses in use in the York area.
ZEBRA 2
In Autumn 2023 the ZEBRA2 scheme was launched with the same funding support as ZEBRA1, but a focus on rural areas.
CYC applied again, this time partnering with Transdev, with the aim of fully electrifying Transdev’s new Rawcliffe depot and all their City Sightseeing tour buses.
The bid was positively received and met the judging criteria, but the limited funding was awarded to LTAs that had not previously received ZEBRA1 support.
ZEBRA monitoring
A key aim of the ZEBRA programme is the monitoring of the vehicles’ performance for a period of 5 years. This includes reliability, fuel and maintenance costs to form a clearer picture of the total cost of ownership of ZEBs.
Passenger satisfaction and patronage will also be monitored.
Future plans
CYC continues to work closely with bus operators to introduce more zero emission vehicles and services in the York network. Current funding support may be available from the DfT’s Bus Service Improvement Programme (BSIP), which CYC can apply for via the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority.
See the government website for more information: Buses and the environment.
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