Buses of Somerset and Somerset Council have begun work to electrify bus depots in Taunton and Minehead, ready to operate 26 brand new electric buses from Spring 2025.

The works will create EV charging infrastructure as well as upgrading the bus depots in Taunton and Minehead.

Once complete, the electric ready depots will enable a fleet of 26 double and single-decker electric buses to run across Buses of Somerset’s routes, bringing cleaner, greener travel to local people.

The £14.7 million project to bring EV buses to Somerset will be delivered in partnership with Somerset Council.

Working together, an investment of £2.2 million was secured for Somerset Council from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) government funding, alongside capital investment of £12.5m from First Bus South - which operates Buses of Somerset.

The introduction of the electric buses to Buses of Somerset’s fleet is a first for bus travel in the area and aims to reduce emissions and improve air quality. The electric buses will replace part of Buses of Somerset’s diesel fleet and overall, it is expected that each electric bus will save up to 75 tonnes of tailpipe emissions per year.

Councillor Richard Wilkins, lead member for transport and waste services at Somerset Council, said: "This is an important moment in our journey to bring electric buses to Somerset. The partnership with First Bus South has enabled us to take huge steps in the right direction to support the switch to sustainable methods of travel. We have a vision to transform bus services in our towns and working together, we are able to achieve that. I look forward to seeing the development of the Taunton and Minehead sites, and the arrival of electric buses next year."