AROUND £50m is being invested into 200 new low-emission buses including in Winchester but WinACC says the announcement is "deeply disappointing".

Stagecoach passengers in Winchester are set to benefit from a multi-million-pound investment for 200 new low-emission double-decker buses, which will be introduced in the city and other UK locations during 2023. It represents the largest single order placed in the UK bus industry this year.

The new buses, manufactured in the UK by Alexander Dennis, will begin services from March 2023. The double-decker vehicles will feature Euro VI engines, which are cleaner engines, to help cut carbon emissions. Meanwhile, the bus company will remove older buses and hence improve local air quality.

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Stagecoach’s regional director, Sam Greer, said: “We are proud of the continued investment we are making to our fleet with the largest single order for new buses in the UK this year. This really shows our commitment to the future prosperity of our communities and to our people who can all benefit from cleaner transport and a growing bus sector.

“These new double-decker buses will complement the investment we are already making with our electric buses to modernise our fleet enabling reduced pollution."

The investment forms part of Stagecoach’s sustainability strategy, with the target of a zero-emissions UK bus fleet by 2035. The 200 new double-decker buses are anticipated to help reduce a further 3,500 carbon tonnes per year.

Winchester Action on the Climate Change (WinACC) has welcomed Stagecoach's environmental effort but says "these new buses will still use diesel, a fossil fuel, which we know is the leading cause of climate change." With Winchester being one among the 12 proposed areas for the new buses the climate group fears the small city will only receive 10 buses at most.

Chair of WinACC transport and planning group, Phil Gagg, said: “However important it is to renew our local buses, this announcement is deeply disappointing. Time is running out to prevent catastrophic temperature rises. We have to concentrate from now onwards on battery-electric buses with zero tailpipe emissions.

"At the same time, we must increase the local production of zero-carbon green electricity to make sure electric buses do not rely on electricity generated from fossil fuels. This is another decision that shows we are sleep-walking into a global catastrophe.”

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Alexander Dennis president and managing director, Paul Davies, said: “We are delighted to continue to support Stagecoach in making buses across the UK cleaner and greener. Our low-emission Enviro400 is a tried and tested product that combines efficiency with high passenger capacity. Robust and easy to maintain, the 200 new buses will integrate seamlessly into Stagecoach’s fleet.

“After the challenges, both operators and manufacturers in the UK bus industry have faced in the last years, it is a heartening step on the road to recovery to see significant volumes of vehicles being ordered again by the country’s largest bus operator, Stagecoach.”

The Enviro400 double-decker buses will replace older buses in the Stagecoach fleet and will be introduced in Oxford, Manchester, Yorkshire, Preston, Northampton, Mansfield, Portsmouth, Chichester, Winchester, Torquay, Folkestone and Newcastle.