First Bus leads the way with Net Zero emission bus depot in Leicester
- First Bus Leicester announce bus depot as one of three Net-Zero emission depots in the UK
- Official launch of the depot electrification took place in March 2023 with investment by First Bus and co-funding from Department for Transport secured by Leicester City Council
- Leicester was one of the first fully electrified depots outside of London
Following the electrification of its commercial bus fleet in Leicester, First Bus has announced that the depot is now verified net zero-emission and amongst the first in the country to achieve this milestone.
The depot has built on the progress of its fully electric commercial bus fleet by investing in the necessary additional carbon reduction requirements to claim net zero status – among the first commercial bus depots in the UK to achieve this milestone.
Reaching this goal has meant going a step beyond eliminating fleet tailpipe emissions (First Bus’s Zero Emission Mission 2035) by accounting for other direct operational emissions associated with the site. This includes the energy used to power the depot and ancillary vehicles.
Net zero was achieved by reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by more than 90% compared to a baseline (FY20), and residual emissions (less than 10%) have been offset through supporting Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) carbon removals projects. Carbon Footprint Ltd, a leading environmental consultancy, has reviewed and verified these net-zero claims. *
Zoe Hands, Managing Director of First Bus Midlands, Manchester & South Yorkshire said:
"We are proud to announce that Leicester has been verified as one of three Net Zero emission bus depots in the UK.
This achievement is testament to the success of the Leicester Buses Partnership, and I would like to thank all our employees and partners who have contributed their expertise and technology to transform the Leicester depot.
Since the sites electrification in 2023, we’ve been working towards milestone moments like this one and we remain committed to our mission of providing sustainable transportation and improving air quality in the region."
The electrification of the Leicester depot took place in March 2023 and the site was transformed with state-of-the-art technology, including 462 solar panels, 30 dual headed rapid 150kW chargers, 12 triple headed 180kW dynamic chargers and 2 mobile 40kW chargers to allow for the simultaneous charging of up to 86 electric vehicles. The First Bus Leicester fleet now consists of 68 single-deck Electroliner Kite Electric buses and 18 double deckers.
Notes to editors
*Consistent with SBTi net zero definition.
** REGO Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin
Net Zero emissions in transport
Road transport is a major and resilient source of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 27% of the UK’s total emissions in 2021. Per customer, one diesel bus generates only a tenth of the carbon emissions of cars. If everyone in the UK switched just one car journey to a bus each month, it could save two million tonnes of CO2 every year.
Net Zero
Net Zero – as by the definition made by SBTI - requires reducing emissions to more than 90% and then removing the remaining 10% or less emissions with carbon removal projects (offsetting).
Scope 1 emissions are focussed on direct emissions from activities such as the use of diesel for vehicles and gas for heating buildings, and Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from electricity bought from the electric grid.
SBTI does not require scope 3 emissions reduction targets if these represent <40% of overall carbon emissions.
Scope 3 emissions
Whilst indirect emissions in its value chain (referred to as Scope 3 emissions) that sit outside the immediate Net Zero emission depot status account for less than 40% of overall emissions, First Bus is working to reduce these in parallel.
About First Bus
At First Bus, we’re on a mission to grow bus usage – so we’ll get behind initiatives that move people out of cars and onto the bus.
We’re one of the UK’s largest bus operators, transporting more than a million customers a day. We serve over 20% of the population of Great Britain with our local bus services, and over half of the UK’s top 15 most populated urban areas.
Transforming our business for the better, we’re putting our people and customers at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we’re the UK’s largest national bus operator to achieve real Living Wage employer status, cementing our position as an employer of choice in the sector.
We’re all about making journeys easier for our customers, which is why we were the first national bus operator to roll out Tap On, Tap Off payment technology across our entire fleet of around 4,500 buses. Our First Bus app has also been voted ‘best in class’ amongst UK bus operators.
First Bus is committed to operating a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035. We already operate over 600 zero-emission buses – that’s 14% of our overall fleet.
We’re passionate about giving back to the communities we serve, which is why we’re helping local businesses to progress their own decarbonisation journeys – giving them access to our charging hubs while our buses are on the road.
We also operate the Aircoach network in Ireland, Specialist Passenger Solutions, First Travel Solutions, York Pullman Bus Company and Ensignbus. First Bus is a division of FirstGroup.
Find more information on our website here: https://news.firstbus.co.uk/