A fleet of new environmentally friendly hydrogen-fuelled buses which will serve Walsall can actually improve air quality, says West Midlands Mayor Andy Street.
More than 120 of the buses will be taking to the streets of the West Midlands following the approval of a £30 million Department for Transport grant, with 24 set to run on the new Sprint rapid transit routes along the A34 linking Walsall to Birmingham.
Mr Street, who leads the West Midlands Combined Authority, said: “Buses are the workhorse of our public transport system, so this investment in new, hydrogen-fuelled vehicles is fantastic news.
“Hydrogen-powered buses emit only water vapour and can improve air quality, as well as contributing to a reduction in the bus network’s carbon footprint, helping us to hit our 2041 climate targets.”
The funding tops up private bus company investment in bus fleets over the next three years to accelerate the switch from diesel buses to clean and green vehicles.
The West Midlands is already leading the way with 20 hydrogen double decker buses, bought by Birmingham City Council and operated by National Express West Midlands. It means the region will have 144 hydrogen buses on the streets, the largest fleet in the Western World.
Mr Street added: “This investment shows that Walsall and our region is leading the way on decarbonising our transport and making progress on achieving our net-zero targets.
“As well as the hydrogen buses, we will be rolling out electric vehicle charging across the region – and we are even turning the whole of Coventry’s bus fleet electric.
“Along with new railways stations in Aldridge, Darlaston and Willenhall, these improvements all form part of a transport plan for Walsall and the wider region that will link people to new opportunities, attract investment and provide real alternatives to using the car.”
The search is also on to find sites for ten electric vehicle transit stations to provide ultra-rapid charging for cars and larger vehicles as part of the region’s green transport revolution.
As the electric equivalent of petrol and diesel filling stations they are designed to encourage greater take up of electric vehicles (EVs), including lorries and commercial vehicles as part of the #wm2041 plans to deliver a net zero-carbon region.