Nottingham City Transport Completes Record Breaking Year of Investment in New Low Emission Buses

Recently crowned UK Bus Operator of the Year 2019, Nottingham City Transport (NCT) has completed a record breaking year of new bus investment, worth around £20m, as a further 10 new buses entered service this week.

Following the purchase of 67 new bio-gas double decks already this year, 10 Alexander Dennis E200MMC low emission midi-buses have now arrived, which will allow NCT to complete its upgrade to a fully Euro VI fleet and meet Nottingham City Council’s Clean Air Plan to improve air quality.

Sure to delight customers, the light, spacious buses feature on-board Wi-Fi, USB chargers, comfortable seating and double passenger information screens which NCT are currently trialling.

The new buses are primarily operating on Bridgford Bus routes 5, 7, 8 and 9 which link Gamston, Wilford Hill, Compton Acres and West Bridgford to Trent Bridge, the Railway Station and City Centre.

Between West Bridgford Town Centre and the City Centre, Bridgford Bus operates up to every 5 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes and every 15 minutes in the evenings and on Sundays.

David Astill, NCT Commercial and Operations Director, said, “We are delighted to introduce these brand new buses to our customers in West Bridgford. With almost 40% of Bridgford Bus customers telling us that they have a car they could use for their journey, but they proactively choose to use the bus, we expect the modern design and features of the new buses will attract more motorists on board.”

Cllr Gordon Wheeler, Chairman of the Communities and Place Review and Development Committee and County Councillor for West Bridgford West, said, “It is great to see Nottingham City Transport investing in West Bridgford’s bus service, with these brand new buses offering a comfortable, environmentally friendly way for residents to get around.”

As a result of the 10 new buses entering service, the ten oldest NCT buses in the fleet (two dating back to 2001) are being withdrawn. This sees NCT’s average bus age fall to just 4.5 years old (UK average 8.5 years) and the oldest bus drop by half from 18 years to just 9 years.

Other routes and areas to receive new buses in 2019 include Brown 17 and Yellow 68, 69 to Bulwell; Lilac 27 to Carlton; Pink 28 to Bilborough, Lime 58 to Arnold; Turquoise 77 to Strelley and Purple 89 to Rise Park.