A fleet of 170 electric double decker buses will join National Express West Midlands’ growing number of zero emission buses - in its biggest electric bus order to date.

Part of its £150 million investment in 300 UK-made zero emission buses announced earlier this year, the West Midlands biggest bus operator has now ordered 170 fully electric buses, to be delivered by the end of 2024. The new British buses, built in Falkirk by Alexander Dennis (AD) on a BYD chassis, will be deployed across the West Midlands. 

The new order takes the total number of BYD AD Enviro400EV buses to be operated by National Express in the West Midlands to 329, making it the largest of the type in the UK. It follows an earlier order for 130 buses to join the fleet in Coventry as part of a £140 million project to make Coventry the UK’s first all-electric bus city by 2025. 

In 2020 National Express West Midlands launched an initial 29 fully electric buses into service on routes across Coventry, Birmingham and Solihull. With a total 329 of these vehicles in operation the bus operator is expected to save nearly 22,000 tonnes of carbon from going out into the atmosphere every year*.

Tom Stables, CEO National Express UK & Germany, said: “This latest move with Alexander Dennis is our biggest new vehicle order to date. Replacing another 170 of our diesel buses with electric is a huge step for us delivering on our commitment to have a completely zero emission bus fleet in the UK by 2030.

“These clean, green UK-built double decker buses are popular with our customers. As a result, they are not only more economical to run but they will boost passenger growth by getting more people to ditch their cars for the bus; and of course they do their bit to help tackle the climate and clean air emergency. 

“National Express West Midlands has recently extended the £2 single ticket offer for another three months, so our new and existing customers can relax knowing that they are saving money and the planet by using our quieter, smoother, more comfortable buses.”

Martin West, Group Commercial Director Alexander Dennis, said: “At Alexander Dennis, we are proud to lead the charge with solutions that move hearts and minds. We are excited to help National Express West Midlands deliver its ambitious plans in support of the West Midlands’ target to become a zero-carbon region by 2041. This repeat order from National Express will create the largest fleet of BYD AD Enviro400EV electric double deck buses in the country and shows the gathering pace of the transition to zero-emission mobility.”

Frank Thorpe, Managing Director, BYD UK, said: “This is yet another considerable electric bus order and we are delighted to support National Express West Midlands as it continues to make significant headway in replacing its diesel bus fleets with clean electric alternatives. 

“Through our partnership with Alexander Dennis, we combine our niche areas of expertise, including BYD’s world-leading battery technology to bring safe, reliable, non-polluting solutions to make public bus services more sustainable, and ever more appealing to a broader range of passengers.”

Additional investment will be made in infrastructure for charging and maintenance of the fleet across National Express West Midlands’ network of depots. The electricity to power the electric vehicles will be 100% renewable and zero carbon.

* Based on data from existing National Express electric vehicles compared to a diesel bus