West Yorkshire Combined Authority has submitted a bid for funding from the Department of Transport as part of its £58 million plan to introduce 111 new zero-emission busses across the region. 

If the £23 million bid to the Zero Emissions Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) fund is successful, it will deliver 47 double-decker buses for Arriva, 32 single-decker buses for First and 32 single-decker buses for Transdev across Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds.

The ZEBRA bid is part of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s wider ambition to introduce zero-emission buses across the region, helping to reduce harmful emissions. 

This includes £4 million allocated to introduce zero-emission buses in Kirklees and Calderdale which is funded through the Transforming Cities Fund.

The ZEBRA bid complements West Yorkshire’s Bus Service Improvement Plan, which has an objective to introduce more green and better vehicles and was agreed by the Combined Authority in October 2021.

Tracy Brabin, West Yorkshire Mayor, said: “If our ZEBRA bid is successful it will mean an almost tenfold increase in the number of zero-emissions buses running on our roads, from 2% now to over 10% of the total West Yorkshire bus fleet.

“As well as making this bid, I’ll continue to work with bus manufacturers, operators and the Department for Transport to bring more zero-emission buses to West Yorkshire and make them a common and welcome sight on our roads.”

The £23 million bid to the Department for Transport is matched by a £33 million contribution from the bus operators.

If the bid is successful, the new vehicles could be deployed across Bradford and Wakefield by 2024.