The four West of England authorities have worked with First Bristol Limited (FBL) to prepare a bid to the Low Emission Bus Scheme that seeks to achieve a step change in the local bus fleet operating services within the West of England, focussing on routes passing through Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs).
The funding secured will enable FBL to introduce 110 new gas-powered buses to their fleet, as well as the fuelling infrastructure to accommodate another 40 gas-powered buses. The buses will operate using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) technology, achieving significant reductions in emissions compared to the 80 diesel (Euro 3) buses being replaced through this investment. The remaining 30 buses will be additional to the existing FBL fleet and will be used to operate new services on the MetroBus network.
The project will result in over 40% of FBL’s bus fleet being low emission, with attendant benefits to local communities in Bristol, Kingswood, Staple Hill, and Keynsham, all of which contain designated AQMAs. The buses will operate on routes where the maximum air quality benefits will be gained.
The bid will also develop fuel supply infrastructure to ensure that the buses can be efficiently re-fuelled with minimal dead mileage. The fuelling equipment will be located at FBL’s Lawrence Hill depot, the base for the buses operating these services. The equipment will have sufficient capacity to fuel a further 25 CNG-powered buses that FBL propose to procure to operate additional MetroBus services once the scheme fully commences.
The fuelling station would be open to other bus operators, road hauliers and public sector fleets to re-fuel their CNG-powered vehicles at Lawrence Hill between 8 am and 5 pm on weekdays, thereby removing a potential barrier to those considering CNG as a fuel for LEVs in the West of England by providing a local fuelling station.
In total, £4.4 million is sought, which will unlock investment of £26 million by FBL.
Leaders across the West have welcomed greater investment through today’s Spending Review, with a record three-quarters of a billion pounds of transport funding confirmed for the West. That means better buses, more trains, and mass transit – with trams and much more on the table. The Treasury has also today confirmed plans to improve rail links between Bristol and Cardiff.
The second phase of a project - to reduce congestion, improve the reliability of buses, and promote active travel along a major transport route in Bristol - will get underway from Monday 16 June 2025.
That’s summer sorted. Children and young people under the age of 16 are set to be able to travel for free on buses across our region during the school holidays, thanks to new investment proposed by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.
Bristol’s first electrified bus depot was opened on 3 June 2025 by a government minister and the West of England’s new mayor.
Leaders across the region have today welcomed more than three-quarters of a billion pounds set to be invested in transport projects in the West. The Chancellor has announced plans to more than double investment in local transport in England’s city regions, committing to “investment in all parts of the country, not just a few.”
