NFI Group Inc., an independent global bus manufacturer, says the Alexander Dennis Ltd. and BYD UK electric vehicle partnership has received a firm order from First Bus for a further 126 zero-emission buses for Glasgow, Scotland. The order is the largest ever for electric buses in the country and is partially funded through the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme (SULEB).
The firm order includes 91 double deck and 35 single deck buses. The vehicles are part of NFI and ADL’s previous announcement that the BYD ADL partnership was the intended supplier on 172 successful zero-emission bus proposals part-funded by SULEB.
“We are excited about this large investment by First Bus in new zero-emission electric buses as NFI and our partner BYD continue to drive electric mobility in the U.K.,” says Paul Soubry, president and CEO of NFI. “These vehicles will be built at our factory in Falkirk, and it is great news for Scotland that this investment is being recycled into the local economy, allowing the benefits to be felt across our communities whilst helping to underpin skilled jobs.”
The new vehicles will all be introduced to the Glasgow city bus network by March 2023. They will join two BYD ADL Enviro200EV that have been in service since January 2020, as well as 22 similar single deck buses ordered in February for delivery ahead of the UN’s COP26 climate summit. In total, ADL will have 150 electric buses in service in Scotland’s largest city.